Oh, Good Gravy!

Here and in many parts of North America and Europe, classic gravy combines the flavourful pan drippings of roast meat such as turkey, chicken, pork, lamb or beef with a thickener and some broth or water. But dine around in other homes and you might be surprised at what others call gravy. Indian curry sauce can be referred to as gravy as can Italian tomato pasta sauce. In the Southern states you might get a cup of ham flavoured coffee (red-eye gravy) or a pork-flavoured white sauce (with or without sausage) served up over biscuits. 

Of course, in Canada, poutine is popular, but while travelling through Arizona at 19 years old, my request for fries and gravy was met with suspicious stares from diners in a small-town café. The skeptical waitress brought my order and the stares returned to watch me eat it. I tried to play it cool as the fries arrived, drenched in a flaccid white sauce I was not familiar with. I forced a smile as I ate those soggy fries in béchamel while those with biscuits and gravy shook their heads in disbelief. Many years later, I’ve had lots of practice making my own beef, turkey and chicken gravies along with vegan versions for my stepdaughter.

Fat and flavour
 

The drippings from a roast are fantastic, the OG of flavour for sauces. If you’re making a veggie version, spend time caramelizing your onions, garlic, mushrooms and any other vegetables you like in a vegetarian fat to create a deeper flavour. Use the pan drippings, olive oil, margarine or butter to cook your roux (flour and fat) and any onions or mushrooms.

Consistency
 

Adding a thickening agent is important; without it, you will have an au jus—delicious for dunking your beef dip sandwich into, but not true gravy. To increase the viscosity, make a classic roux of equal parts fat (see above) and flour. Cook it well until browned but not burnt, and then whisk in your hot stock. 

Alternatively, you can make a slurry. A mixture of water with flour or cornstarch, a slurry is usually shaken up in a retro Tupperware gravy shaker or whisked well in a bowl to eliminate lumps. The slurry is then whisked into the broth and stirred as it comes to a boil and thickens the delicious golden sauce. Finishing with a tablespoon or two of butter adds an extra layer of silky richness.

Broth
 

Broth is another important ingredient for building flavour. Browned turkey giblets, necks and bones, simmered with bay leaves and a mirepoix of vegetables (onions, carrot and celery) makes a versatile and fragrant stock. If you don’t have time for homemade, cartons of stock, bouillon paste or powders will fill in. Another popular liquid is the drained cooking water from your potatoes, carrots or peas in place of, or in addition to, broth.

Seasonings
 

Like Simon and Garfunkel did, utilize the herbs from your garden. Parsley, sage, rosemary and thyme are ideal flavours for turkey gravy, rosemary pairs well with a roast beef and lavender adds a Provencal feel to pork.

Want a touch of acidity? A few tablespoons of white or red wine are classic additions while apple cider, bourbon, beer or a few drops of hot sauce will make your gravy unique. Add these along with the broth so any alcohol can cook out and mellow before serving.

Vegetarian gravies
 

For vegetarian and vegan gravies, nutritional yeast, Bragg's amino acids, tamari sauce or mushroom powder (you can make your own by whizzing up dried porcini or other mushrooms in a food processor) bring rich, savoury seasonings to a gravy. For extra creaminess, you can add some unsweetened coconut or oat or almond milk.

Classic gravy
 

The following base gravy recipe can be customized with your own choice of herbs, broth and add-ins. It makes approximately 2 cups:

Heat ¼ cup of fat over medium-low heat and sauté ½ cup of minced shallots, onions or other veg as desired. Sift 6 tablespoons flour over and cook, stirring frequently until it gets to a medium brown color being careful not to let it burn. Whisk in 1 ½ cups of broth or stock and cook over medium heat, whisking frequently until it is thickened. Adjust seasoning with a tablespoon of butter, salt and pepper, to taste.

Enjoy! And smile at that crazy lady in the corner, eating some weird combination of sauce on fries.