NUTRITIOUS GRAVY FROM MEAT DRIPPINGS

(Image from Google)

MAKE GRAVY FROM MEAT DRIPPINGS

Try this process after roasting meat, it is an excellent way to clean the pan!

You can choose to do this directly in the cast iron pan after removing your roasted meat, or you can transfer the drippings into a sauce pan.

If you choose to do this in a saucepan, don't forget to deglaze the pan! This is a crucial step to bring depth and flavour (plus clean the pan!)

To deglaze the pan

• Bring the pan to medium-high heat and add a little splash of water, wine, beer, cooking vinegar, balsalmic or your handy frozen stock cubes. This is the bulk of your gravy, so add enough with the idea that some will evaporate during this process.

• Deglazing the pan extracts flavour juices. The pan will bubble. As it does this, scrape the surface with a wooden spoon or spatula to get all the delicious flavour out. Reduce to a simmer and then transfer these juices into your saucepan or continue on to make your gravy right here in the pan.

Make your gravy

• Reduce to simmer. Add your sauce ingredients. We usually choose sea salt, black pepper, some spices and then a dollop of something good, like butter, milk, cream, wine, whiskey, hot sauce, maple syrup, onions, mushroooms...etc. A flavour profile splash!

• From here choose to thicken it with either corn starch or flour. Add 1 tsp at a time, whisking continuously, to reach your desired consistency.

  • Corn starch is a quick thickener, it's light and excellent for a quick gravy, especially if you are only making a couple servings.

  • Flour takes longer to thicken, brings a more robust flavour (especially if your flour isn't 100% refined), and is an excellent choice for larger batches of gravy. If you add mushrooms or onions, flour is a good choice because you will need more simmering time to soften all the fibers.

• Allow for the gravy to reduce and thicken. Simmer until the ingredients are well-combined.

• Choose if you want to run the gravy through a fine mesh strainer for an even and smooth presentation.

Making gravy at home like this allows for you to bring the nutritious benefits of your meat drippings into the meal, instead of discarding it as waste. It allows for you to control the ingredients in your gravy, without preservatives and to control for the amount of sugar and salt.

Homemade gravy was one of my biggest pregnancy cravings, must of been the increased need for fat to build a little human! haha! Brian would serve my meals in a bowl so I could have a soup of gravy, and I would drink it all up in the end. mmmmm.

-Samantha