Making gravy (without making a roast)

cc-offe

I've been cooking now for a good few years but never cook a roast, simply because we tend to go to my parents house at the weekends for one, I cook most things and sometimes would love a nice gravy to go with it, I'd be happy enough with bisto but my partner hates it, I'd love to be able to buy a big bottle of carvery gravy mmmmmm anyway is there a way to make a nice gravy without using the drippings of a roast.........oh and you'll hate me for this...also without using red wine because we really don't like that in food??

nompere

Look for an onion gravy recipe. There are lots around, and they don't all use red wine.

The colour comes from first browning the onions (gently) and then browning the flour. I often tip a small amount of balsamic vinegar into mine, and maybe some worcestershire sauce.

When cooking with wine it's very important to cook it long enough to remove the alcohol - then it adds depth to a sauce without the alcohol (or indeed the wine) taste. The scientists will explain that alcohol boils at 78 degrees whereas water boils at 100 degrees. So you get rid of the alcohol first. It's a bit more complicated than that - but it's the basis of the technique that distillers use.

kmick

You can do a reasonable non roast gravy with the following.
A stock cube (vegetable is fine)
Small bottle of white wine reduced by 50%
I use equal amounts of bisto+cornflour to thicken
If you are cooking a vegetable like turnip/carrot/parsnip you can use some of the water as long as you have salted that water while cooking the veg.

Its not as good as a gravy from a pan that has been deglazed after cooking a roast though.

For me the best gravy comes from a pork roast with carrot and turnip (cooked seperately) salted cooking water and a small bottle of white wine reduced by half. Thicken with 50/50 cornflour/bisto powder. You can freeze this into 4 portions and use as required.

olaola

You could buy a few chicken wings and throw them into a pot and boil them down to make a stock. I keep the spines from chicken carcasses after spatchcocking them and lash them in the freezer to use for stock.

kylith

kmick wrote: »

You can do a reasonable non roast gravy with the following.
A stock cube (vegetable is fine)
Small bottle of white wine reduced by 50%
I use equal amounts of bisto+cornflour to thicken
If you are cooking a vegetable like turnip/carrot/parsnip you can use some of the water as long as you have salted that water while cooking the veg.

I've done it that way (without the wine) but I find that the cornflour can make it set in an unappetising way.

It might be worth trying to make it with a roux and adding a dissolved stock cube.

shinikins

I hate bisto gravy too, its the salty beef flavour that puts me off. i've been using Aldi's gravy granules and they are really nice, prefer the chicken gravy, as i'm not really a red meat eater. They're more like gravy made from scratch than bisto is.

The hotel i used to work in a few years used to make their gravy from concentrate, and Tesco used to sell gravy bouillon, i think its called Just Bouillon.

mathepac

kylith wrote: »

I've done it that way (without the wine) but I find that the cornflour can make it set in an unappetising way. ...

I suspect you may be using too much cornflour.

As an alternative to the cornflour I sometimes use powdered arrowroot. If you can't get it in your supermarket, try an Asian food shop.

the beer revolu

I don't like cornflour as a thickener for sauces, either.
Plain flour gives a much nicer texture but is more difficult to work with.

OP, if wine is properly reduced with stock in a sauce, it doesn't really taste 'winey' if know what I mean.

My onion gravy:

Finely slice a large onion and slowly brown it in some oil or butter in a saucepan (this will take about 20 minutes), stirring often to avoid burning.
Add a teaspoon of mustard and a tablespoon of flour.
Mix well and continue to cook over the low heat for a few minutes.
Add, bit by bit, stirring, about a half litre of hot beef stock (cube is fine) and then about 1/4 litre of red wine.
Allow to boil gently for a good ten minutes to cook the flour and reduce the wine and stock.
A dash of Worcester sauce and soy sauce are good to season.
Add black pepper to taste (shouldn't need salt as stock, soy and Worcester are all salty).

The wine could be left out but it does give good flavour and colour - try it.

cc-offe

Thanks everyone, some great ideas there!