Megabytes by John & Sally McKenna Vol 4 Issue 1
Step By Step Cooking Solutions - Gravy
Never panic over making gravy again with this issue of Carmel Somer's Step By Step Cooking Solutions. Use what you have, with a few simple additions, and you'll never feel the need to resort to artificial thickeners or browning agents.
Two of the golden rules, explains Carmel, are: roast your joint on a blazing high heat to begin "stewing" the roast on a medium heat draws out the fat which spoils your gravy, caramelisation from high heat deepens the flavour and browns the gravy to perfection. Second - place a "rack" of aromatics under the roast to flavour the gravy. All that you need to do then is simply add a little wine, stock (potato water from the cooked veg is brilliant) and a few other subtle, simple flavourings and let nature take its course.
Out! go foil, racks, flour and - who needs it - any artifical "browning" ingredient.
Step By Step Cooking Solutions this issue looks at the simple, French method of making a great gravy.
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Step 1: Preheat your oven to its maximum temperature. Gather together some aromatics, here 5 whole unpeeled cloves of garlic; 2 onions, skins left on, quartered; 1 whole chilli; sprigs of thyme; 4 bay leaves; salt and freshly ground pepper. Place all these ingredients into a low-sided oven roasting tray. |
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Step 2: Season your roast. |
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Step 3: Place the roast on top of the aromatics, and into the preheated oven for 15-20 minutes. The oven must be very hot at this stage to caramelise the meat and the vegetables. This will sweeten and colour the gravy. |
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Step 4: After 15-20 minutes turn the heat down to approximately 200ēC. Roast according to the size and cut of your joint of meat. When cooked remove from the oven, and set the joint to rest. |
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Step 5: The aromatics should be brown and caramelised. This series of pictures shows suggested aromatics for beef. For pork you might add a sliced cooking apple and sliced ginger. For chicken, it's a good idea to place a lemon inside the cavity, which will give a lovely flavour to the gravy. |
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Step 6: Place the oven tray directly onto the stove top and scrape the juices free over a medium heat. |
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Step 7: Add a healthy splash of red wine. You can also use marsala, or even whiskey, which goes beautifully in a gravy made from roast duck. |
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Step 8: Add some water or some stock the cooking juices from potatoes or carrots are also perfect for this job. If you have parboiled some potatoes to make roast potatoes, never throw away the cooking water! |
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Step 9: Season the gravy with salt and freshly ground pepper and here Carmel adds a tablespoon of tomato puree. For pork and game she recommends an apple or redcurrant jelly. |
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Step 10: Squash the vegetables into the sauce especially the garlic to get the most out of their flavour. |
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Step 11: Leave the gravy to reduce slightly, cooking over a relatively high heat for a few minutes. |
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Step 12: Strain directly into your gravy boat and here, in minutes is a perfect, delicious gravy. |
text © John & Sally McKenna
illustrations © Ken
Buggy
