Traditional Gravy For Roast Beef Lamb Pork Or Duck Food

TRADITIONAL GRAVY FOR ROAST BEEF, LAMB, PORK OR DUCK

Steps:

• First of all remove the meat or poultry from the roasting tin and have a bowl ready, then tilt the tin and you will see quite clearly the fat separating from the darker juices. So now you need to spoon off the fat into the bowl using a tablespoon, but remember, you need to leave 1-1½ tablespoons of fat in the tin. Then, using a wooden spoon, scrape the sides and base of the tin to release any crusty bits, which are very important for flavour. Next, place the tin over direct heat turned fairly low and, when the fat and juices begin to sizzle, add the flour, then quickly dive in with the wooden spoon using brisk circular movements. Speed is of the essence - gentle, faint-hearted stirring is not what's needed here: you should be mixing in the manner of a speeded-up film!
• Soon you will have a smooth paste, so now begin to add the hot stock, a little at a time, whisking briskly and blending after each addition. Now turn the heat up to medium and you will find that, as the stock is added and it reaches simmering point, the gravy will have thickened.
• Now your own preference comes into play. If the gravy is too thin, let it bubble and reduce a little; if it's too thick, add a little more liquid. Finally, taste and season with salt and freshly milled black pepper, then pour the gravy into a warmed jug ready for the table.
• For pork, which has pale juices, add onion to the roasting tin. This will caramelise during cooking and give colour to the juices. The onion may also be used with other joints and poultry to give colour.
• For lamb, add a teaspoon of mustard powder with the flour, a tablespoon of redcurrant jelly to melt into the gravy, and some red wine to add body.
• For duck, add the grated zest and juice of a small orange, along with a glass of port.
• For beef, add a wineglass of red wine or Madeira - this enriches the beef flavour magically.

TRADITIONAL GRAVY

Steps:

• Collect the juices and the fat from the meat you are roasting.
• Put the juices in a glass jug and allow to stand for a few minutes so that the fat will rise to the surface. Skim off the fat.
• Put the roasting tin that you used to cook the meat on the hob on a medium heat and add the fat. (The meat needs to be resting, covered with foil, in a warm place at this point).
• Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute.
• Stir in the meat juices and gradually stir in the stock until you get a smooth gravy. You can add some white or red wine at this point for more flavor. Use a wooden spoon and stir all over the surface of the pan to incorporate any meat juices that are stuck to it.
• Bring to the boil and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.

GRAVY FROM ROAST DRIPPINGS

Steps:

• Remove roast from pan and pour off any fat. Place over high heat (use 2 burners if necessary) and deglaze pan with wine and broth, scraping any bits stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon or spatula. Once these solids are dissolved, pour liquid into a saucepan and add the bay leaf and peppercorns. Reduce for 5 minutes over high heat or until reduced by 1/3.
• At this point you basically have a jus which could be used to sauce your roast. To create a gravy, reduce the heat to medium and whisk in 2 tablespoons of white roux. Return to a simmer, whisking constantly. Continuing to cook once a simmer has been reached will result in a smoother sauce, but not a thicker one.
• Since all starch thickened sauces thicken as they cool, it's a good idea to make your gravy a little on the loose side.

ROAST BEEF WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F. Line a 9-by 13- by 2-inch pan or your oven's broiler pan with a sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil large enough to fully wrap the roast. The shiny side of the foil should be up. Sprinkle the roast on all sides with salt and pepper and place it in the center of the foil. Spread the onion slices over the top of the roast and pour the vinegar around it. Bring the ends of the foil together and fold several times, and then fold the ends together to completely enclose the roast. Pour about 1 inch of water into the pan around the foil-wrapped roast. Bake until the meat is fork tender and brown, 3 to 4 hours. Check the water level in the pan regularly during cooking and replenish it if necessary. If any juice seeps from the foil seals during roasting, save it to use in making the gravy. When the roast is done, remove the package from the baking pan and let it cool for a few minutes. Open the package carefully to preserve all the juices and transfer the meat to a platter. Cover with a tent of foil to keep it warm while you make the gravy. Pour the roasting juices into a measuring cup and let the fat rise to the surface. Skim off the fat, reserving 4 tablespoons in a saucepan and discarding the rest. (If the fat measures less than 4 tablespoons, add enough butter to make up the difference.) Measure the remaining defatted pan juices and reserve. If you have less than 2 cups, add water to make 2 cups. Add the flour to the fat in the saucepan and stir with a wire whisk to make a roux. Cook over medium-low heat until the flour is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in the reserved pan juices and stir until thickened. Slice the roast or cut it into chunks (it will be very tender), and serve it with the gravy.

BEEF GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 375 degrees.
• Cut the meat and fat into small dice, put them into a roasting pan (along with bones) and roast in the oven for 1 hour, or until browned.
• Trim all the vegetables, chop them fine, add them to the browned meat in the pan and continue roasting for a half hour to an hour longer, or until they are browned (but not blackened). Meanwhile, boil the stock down by half in a stockpot.
• Remove the roasting pan from the oven, set it over a top burner, add a quart of the stock to it and stir and scrape the pan to release all the browning. Empty the pan into the stockpot, rinse it with a little water to get out any remaining pieces, add the rinse water to the pot, and simmer, covered, for 3 hours.
• Strain the finished gravy into a container and refrigerate both it and the residual solids overnight. Remove the cake of fat from the gravy before reheating. Add to the gravy any meat juices (defatted) that the roast gives up. (The solids may be made into a spread by adding salt, dry mustard and finely diced celery.)

ROAST BEEF AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Cut chuck roast in half; place in slow cooker. Combine cream of mushroom soup, beef broth, sherry, and soup mix in a bowl; pour over roast.
• Cover and cook on Low until meat is tender, 8 to 9 hours.

ROAST WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in stock pot over medium heat; sear roast in the hot oil until slightly browned, about 2 minutes per side. Remove roast from pot and place on a plate. Cook and stir onion and garlic in the hot oil until onion is lightly browned, 10 to 15 minutes.
• Return seared roast to the stock pot; pour coffee and 1 1/2 cup water over roast. Add beef bouillon, basil leaves, 1 tablespoon salt, and pepper.
• Bring broth to a boil; reduce heat to medium low, cover stock pot, and simmer until meat is falling apart, 2 to 3 hours. Remove and discard basil leaves. Transfer roast to a serving dish and cover with a lid or aluminum foil, keeping the broth in the stock pot over medium heat.
• Whisk flour and 1/2 cup water together in a bowl until smooth. Slowly whisk flour mixture into broth until gravy is smooth and somewhat clear; season with salt. Pour about half the gravy over the roast and pour the rest into a gravy boat for serving.

PORK ROAST WITH GRAVY

Steps:

• In a Dutch oven, brown roast in oil on all sides. In a small bowl, combine wine, brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and bouillon; pour over roast., Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and cook for 45-60 minutes or until pork is tender, basting occasionally with pan juices., Remove roast to a serving platter; keep warm. Pour drippings and loosened browned bits into a 2-cup measuring cup; skim fat. Add enough water to measure 1-1/2 cups. Return to pan., Combine cornstarch and water until smooth; gradually stir into pan. Bring to a boil; cook and stir 1-2 minutes or until thickened. Serve with roast.