Another embarrasing cookery question from mumofmonsters.....

[mumofmonSTARsOfBethlehem]

So far i have asked how to roast a chicken, howe to roast potatoes and i think (on someone elses thread) how to boil an egg

So....how do i make proper gravy?

Am roasting my chicken xmas morning with the roasties, will the 'juices' be ok left in the pan until later on? What do i do with them? Will only be for DP and I, the DC's are having packet gravy so DP and i can have more of the nice one [evil grin]

There should be plenty of real gravy for your dc's too if you follow this recipe.

Chop some peeled root veg and onions and garlic and herbs into the roasting tray and stick the chicken on top, roast it and take it out, cover it with foil to rest for about 20 minutes.

The veg should be quite soft. Drain off the excess fat and place the tray on the hob with a medium flame underneath. sprinkle flour over the tray and stir it in, it will cook a little. you can now add some white wine and some hot stock gradually. stir all the time and mash up the veg into the mixture, it will thicken up.
Season with salt and pepper and strain into a gravy boat.

what kind of flour? any flour?

Plain flour

Ooh carmen that sounds lovely, never done it with the mashed veg in before. If I tried it with a 10 lb turkey would the vegetables be cremated?

Put the veg in half way through the cooking - sit the turkey on them.

will it matter if i do it mid morning ready for the evening? or am i better off just doing it all together later on?(and taking advantage of a reason to 'run away')

It really won't taste as nice reheated mom

fantastic-i have the BEST ever excuse for leaving the chaos

Tis only my 2nd ever roast and my first ever proper christmas dinner (usually i get a ready cooked chicken)

I add salt if I have not used water from vegetables which has salt in it already. Boil it for ages to reduce it. If mine seems really thin I add in some more flour/ gravy powder and water mix and boil it up.

Okay - if it is flavourless try:

-salt
-wine
-worcester sauce
-soy sauce
-stock cube / stock powder
-make sure you are using all the pan scrapings
-bit of honey or jelly taht you would have with the roast

keep boiling - as the liquid evaporates teh gravy will thicken more

sherry also good - if you cook it will mostly boil off and not get the DC's drunk. If you want to be really foolproof buy "sauce" flour. Its doesn;t get lumps as much as ordinary flour

I like it sl sweet so I add quince jelly from farmers market
and vegetetarian bouillon better than oxo
but my auntie makes best gravy and always adds alcohol I think it counteracts fat in gravy
if on diet strain juices put in frezzer for 30 min and scrape off fat
to avoid lumps need tea strainer or little whisk from lakeland - lifesaver

hello MoM......[waving smilie].

good tip for gravy.....

don't, whatever you do, add too much flour.

I did that the first and last time I ever made gravy. Have NOT lived it down since, and have also never been allowed to make it snce.

I made it rather thick......

soooooo...follow these lovely instructions, and think of me not being allowed too

the spoon stood up???

Will add it tiny bit by tiny bit then-eek!

yup.....

and the gravy would not pour either......

we had to have bisto in the end too as even tho my MIL took over and tried to thin it down, 1, it went lumpy and 2, it tasted of wallpaper paste (well, what I think wallpaper paste tastes like anyhow)!

so.......sprinkle leeeeeeetle amounts of flour. NOT huge greate tablesppons like me!

don't worry about lumps - just put a sieve over gravy jug as you pour it in.

BBBBeeeee.....

you would worry about my lumps. mine were of bits of flour that hadn't mixed in, even sieving didn't help either....was too thick to pour

lol - you should have sliced it and served it as an avant garde starter!

I don't have a gravy boat...i think i am too common

i should specify that my 'gravy jug' is a plastic measuring jug.

is very classy!

gravy boats are a bit naff aren't they?

don't do gravy boats. can get sod all in thse.

nahhhhhhhhh......tupperware jugs works extremely well

BBBeee......never thought of the slicing and serving. How cool wouldthat have been

I don't even recall them being sold where i am !!

MoM...I only have a gravy boat as it was a wedding pressie. only ever been used when I was tryin to be all posh, and it served MR psycho only

I love gravy boats, have 8 all lined up together!! I like the shape.

I'll get me coat!