gravy??

[TheLadyVanishes]

ok i've been so used to using granules but since having a child i thought I should ask how to make the perfect gravy, today i did a yummy roast chicken and I let it down by making a crap gravy with veg stock (don't ask me how!) so how do you do yours

I would love to know too!

Gravy granules contain so much salt and I have to cut that out now for medical/health reasons.

I know! thats why i want to make my own

someone must know

I use the juices from the roast plus veg stock and thicken with cornflour and gravy browning (Bisto powder).

You could also add a bit of red wine, or sometimes I add a little mustard to mine.

I put a tablespoon of flour in the pan with some veg (or meat) stock powder/crumbled up stock cube and some pepper, then put meat on rack above this. When the meat's cooked I give the flour mixture a stir, then add veg water and any meat juices, stir or whisk until thickened. It will probably be lumpy but you can put it through a sieve.

Ooooohhh I have been practising my gravies recently. I start when I put the meat in by roughly chopping some onions and garlic (you strain it at the end, some don't worry about cutting it up finely), add some fresh herbs (my favoruite is rosemary) and a few crushed black peppercorns. Saute on a very low heat for 5-10 minutes. Add a splash of balsamic vinegar and then your stock (whichever type you like) bring to the boil then leave on a back burner on a low heat until everything else is cooked (for the next hour or so). Strain and serve - you can add half red wine and half stock if you want it richer. I find this makes a really flavoursome gravy - the long cooking means all the flavour is released from the stuff you put in.

If you are doing roasties, always save the water you drain after parboiling them and use that as your liquid.

After you've taken the meat out of the roasting pan, about 10 mins before serving add 1-2 tbs of flour and mix with the fat and bits in the bottom (if there is a lot of fat then take some of it off) until you have a lovely sticky brown mess, then add a little potato water until it's more of a paste. Then turn on the heat underneath and keep adding the p. water gradually until you reckon you have enough gravy (with chicken it tends to be a bit pale but should still taste OK) and leave it on a low heat, stirring occasionally, until you need it.

I always lob the whole lot into a gravy boat, even with bits in - they tend to sink to the bottom but even if they don't they taste good!

These all sound great - does anyone have a vegetarian version? Pref a low salt one?

I've got a feeling I'm asking the impossible here!

Fry chopped onions (can add peppers) in a litttle olive oil

when they are brownish and soft stir in 1/2 tablespoons of flourmix and add veg stock (or potato water) - a quick whizz with a hand whisk and no lumps or blend and have no onions

You can add gravy browning (caramel) to give it a good colour

Um - tricky without a roasted joint to start with, Mercy!

Kallo make a low-salt veg stock cube which would give you a base but it wouldn't be gravy.

By veg stock I mean the water you cooked the veg in rather than a stock cube

Same as saggar. Bring the meat/veg stock to the boil and pour in a half cup of water with bisto stirred well in. Stir pan until gravy boils, otherwise it goes lumpy (but if it does, sieve it).

Mercy just use your veg/potato water (assuming Bisto is ok for veggies)

Wow, some great ideas, thank you!

JanH - I agree, it's not real gravy is it?!

I did a Nigella roast lamb receipe on Sunday where gravy was made by heating the meat juices in the roasting tin (having removed the meat) on the hob. You soak half a tsp of saffron threads in boiling water for a while beforehand then strain and add to juices with a spoon of redcurrent jelly and cook until it reduces. Yummiest gravy I have ever had.