Yvonne Cobb's homemade gravy

Yvonne Cobb's gravy masterclass

Cook Yvonne Cobb is here with a full gravy masterclass, from homemade meat and veggie versions to a few easy ways to liven up your granules with store cupboard ingredients like soy sauce.

MEAT GRAVY

Ingredients:

  • Dash of olive oil

  • Turkey giblets (if you don't have these you can use a few chicken wings or drumsticks)

  • 1 onion

  • 1 carrot

  • 1 stick of celery

  • 2 tbsp plain flour

  • 1 glass of red wine or Madeira wine

  • 1 litre of chicken stock

  • 1 bay leaf

Method:

  1. Heat up a saucepan with olive oil, then add chopped up giblets from the turkey (or your chicken wings).

  2. Then add 1 chopped onion, 1 chopped carrot and 1 chopped stick of celery.

  3. Continue frying until the vegetables have softened. Reduce heat, then add 2 tbsp of plain flour and whisk to combine.

  4. Then pour one glass of red wine or Madeira wine, and simmer until the liquid is reduced in half.

  5. Add 1 litre of chicken stock (the darker the better) and 1 bay leaf.

  6. Bring to the boil then reduce the heat and simmer for 30-40 minutes.

  7. Strain using a sieve into a clean bowl.

  8. This is the stage when you can freeze into a sealable freezer bag, or even prepare this a few days beforehand and keep in the fridge.

  9. On the day of cooking the turkey, add some juice from a cooked/rested turkey into the gravy.

  10. Simmer in a saucepan until it is reduced. Remove excess fat floating at the top with a large spoon.

  11. If you want extra smooth gravy, strain again with a sieve.

VEGGIE GRAVY

Ingredients:

  • 2 large onions

  • 2 large carrots

  • 2 celery sticks

  • 8 chestnut mushrooms

  • 4 garlic cloves

  • Olive oil

  • 1 heaped tbsp tomato paste

  • 1 dollop of soy sauce OR tamari sauce if you're GF

  • 1 tbsp yeast extract - check the label if you're GF

  • 1 tbsp miso paste - check the label if you're GF

  • 1/2 litre hot water

  • 2 tbsp butter

  • 3 tbsp cornflour

Method:

  1. Bake a large deep end tray filled with 2 large onions, 2 large carrots, 2 celery sticks, 8 chestnut mushrooms, and 4 garlic cloves, all chopped up and mix with a little olive oil and seasoning.

  2. Bake for about 30 minutes at temperature 200c until they are all soft.

  3. Then add 1 heaped tbsp of tomato paste at the end of baking and mix.

  4. Add the baked vegetables into a large saucepan.

  5. Add a dollop of soy sauce or tamari sauce, 1 tbsp of yeast extract and 1 tbsp miso paste and 1/2 litre of hot water.

  6. Add some seasoning, simmer for about 30 – 45 minutes.

  7. Then strain using a sieve into a large jug.

  8. Press the vegetables through the sieve as much as you can.

  9. Add 2 tbsp of real butter into a clean saucepan.

  10. When it has just started to melt, add 3 tbsp of cornflour.

  11. Whisk quickly, then slowly pour the hot vegetable stock while continually whisking.

  12. Simmer for 10 minutes until thickened. Just keep stirring as this prevents it to be a lumpy gravy!