Homemade Gravy

Homemade Gravy

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A couple of very busy weeks passed by and probably another one about to come. I had my usual spur-of-the-moment big family dishes at the end of a tiring day to de-stress and that’s about it. I couldn’t find the time to write about them. Technically, I am in my self-proclaimed 2-day holiday (yesterday and today) to complete a long weekend till Sunday but that’s another story.

Anyway, I just thought I’d share this very easy homemade gravy recipe for those with kids who love this be it on chicken, steak, burgers, mashed potatoes, or rice.  That’s right… rice!  Ages ago as kids we love lots of gravy to dip our fried chicken in.  With W (and a couple of other kids) who grew up in Manila – he pours his gravy over rice and eat with gusto.  The kiddo sees it and follows suit ha-ha!

Ingredients:
½ cup butter (about 8 tbsp of butter)
½ cup flour
4 cups stock (I used 2 cups chicken, 2 cups beef)
Freshly ground pepper
(Salt – optional)

Add chunks of butter to a medium-sized saucepan. Heat until butter melts.

Add a portion of the flour and whisk into the butter until blended. Repeat this process until all flour is whisked into butter and well blended.

Keep whisking over low heat for about 10-12 minutes or until it smells like you are cooking a pie. By this time it should be a bit brown and with tiny bubbles. This mixture I believe is called a roux. Flour should be cooked long enough; otherwise your gravy will have that raw flour taste later on.

Add stock 1 cup at a time. Whisk until absorbed by the roux, no lumps at all. Repeat until all stock is absorbed. Keep whisking for another 10 minutes.

This should be thick and creamy, not lumpy, by this time. Taste. Add salt if you think it’s necessary. I normally leave it as it is when I use salted butter. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. I like a lot! Whisk before serving hot as a condiment, or over mashed potatoes, or, like my boys, over rice.

Below shows gravy poured over mashed potatoes. This one made with beef broth and bacon grease instead of butter.

 

FTFBadge

 

3.7 from 3 reviews
Homemade Gravy
Author: 
Recipe type: Condiment
Prep time: 
Cook time: 
Total time: 
Serves: 8-10
 
Ingredients
  • ½ cup butter (about 8 tbsp of butter)
  • ½ cup flour
  • 4 cups stock (I used 2 cups chicken, 2 cups beef)
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • (Salt - optional)
Instructions
  1. Add chunks of butter to a medium-sized saucepan. Heat until butter melts.
  2. Add a portion of the flour and whisk into the butter until blended. Repeat this process until all flour is whisked into butter and well blended.
  3. Keep whisking over low heat for about 10-12 minutes or until it smells like you are cooking a pie. By this time it should be a bit brown and with tiny bubbles. This mixture I believe is called a roux. Flour should be cooked long enough; otherwise your gravy will have that raw flour taste later on.
  4. Add stock 1 cup at a time. Whisk until absorbed by the roux, no lumps at all. Repeat until all stock is absorbed. Keep whisking for another 10 minutes. This should be thick and creamy, not lumpy, by this time.
  5. Taste. Add salt if you think it’s necessary. I normally leave it as it is when I use salted butter. Sprinkle with freshly ground pepper. Whisk before serving hot as a condiment, or over mashed potatoes.
Notes
It should always be 1:1 for fat and flour. My proportion is always 1:1:8; that would be fat to flour to liquid. If you want thicker gravy, increase fat and flour, or just add cream later on. Sometimes I add a full tbsp of sour cream. Fat can be drippings from previous cooking – like steak, burgers, chicken or bacon, just remember to strain the liquid to remove bits and pieces before using. The more spices you add to the meat you are cooking, the tastier the gravy. Alternatively, melted butter is just as good. The broth also adds to flavorful gravy. You may make your own using chicken or beef or you can just buy packed stock made from natural ingredients. I find that using beef stock is tastier and, of course, suits steak and patties better. Some people darken their gravy with a little Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce or even a dash of granulated coffee. It’s all up to you. I kinda like the final natural color of my gravy so I leave it as it is. Using a whisk avoids lumps. If you don’t have one, or have it but still end up having lumps (I’m sure it won’t be lumpy with a whisk), run your gravy through a strainer before serving.

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Iska
I am not a professional cook. My only claim to having a culinary background is a short stint as my dad’s teen ‘sous chef’ in his carinderia ages ago. Dad ran small eateries since I was a young kid - serving standard ‘turo-turo’ food ranging from the likes of menudo, adobo, pritong isda, dinuguan, binagoongan, bopis, munggo, pinakbet and giniling to merienda fares like goto, ginataan, pancit bihon, halu-halo and saging con yelo.

My father, a farmer in his hometown before working his way to becoming an accountant, definitely influenced my cooking in a lot of ways than I thought. My siblings and I were raised in a backyard full of fruit trees and vegetable garden. We spent weekends and the summer breaks running around with ducks, chickens, goats and pigs. I had wonderful memories of gathering eggs, butchering chickens, selling vegetables and the sweet aroma of preserved fruits. But my love for art led me to a degree in Architecture. Just few months after getting my license, I went abroad and lived independently at age 23. Definitely no maid, no cook, and a totally different food culture. Along the way I met lots of friends and spent what seemed a lifetime learning new tricks and recipes.

Now living in Auckland, I am a work-from-home mum who juggles time between work, fun and family - in pursuit of work-life balance. No matter how busy I am, I love the idea of cooking for my family. My blog chronicles home cooking greatly influenced by life outside my home country from Southeast Asia to Beijing and Auckland. And most of the time, being busy also means easy (sometimes quick), affordable meals.

20 thoughts on “Homemade Gravy

    1. You’re welcome. Madami din akong palpak bago ko nakuha ang tamang timpla. Time is the key. Rushing won’t do the gravy any good. Flour needs to be cooked right :-)

  1. looks so yummy, thanks for sharing your recipe and about that roux thing! i actually made gravy the other night, (i forgot to buy mccormick gravy pack) but i failed, it was ok but it was not that good, i can taste a bit of flour…now i know that i did it the wrong way. i even add worcestershire sauce kasi sabi dun sa recipe na nakita ko online. i also love to used whisk kapag gravy at mga sauces. anyway, i will do your style next time, will let you know! :) here from FTF, see you around. thanks again and have a great week. :)

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