[Closed] Gravy recipes - what's your secret?

Use some of the pork fat and flour to make a roux (ensure it is properly cooked), then dilute with veg water, cabbage is best apparently.

Jamie Oliver does a fantatic onion gravy to go with sausages and mash in his "Jamie's dinners" Book.

Fry sliced onions gently 'til really soft in a covered pan. Uncover and turn up heat til they are golden brown. Add balsamic vinegar and boil 'til it's nearly disappeared. Add a bit of butter, crumble in a stock cube and add some water. Simmer a bit.
Believe me ,this is tried and tested and is bluddy delicious!! 8)

sweat off some chopped carrots, onion, celery and a few herbs thyme and perhaps sage, Agood splash of wine reduce then add some good beef stock ( get the fresh stuff from supermarket, meanwhile caramelize some onions and add to the gravy, for a hint of sweetness ad some redcurrant jelly.

good quality veal stock, pig trotters.

balsamic vinegar and chocolate are secret weapon ingredients.

Interesting insights, thanks.

MrNutt - roast the trotters and use the juices presumably?
pjbarton - what kind of chocolate?

i've got some gourmet stuff - a block, rock hard 100% cocoa - any strong high percentage stuff would work. you don't need loads in there. And cheap balsamic is ok for sauces - good for roasting red onions in too!

The quickest onion gravy I do for sausage and mash is this. For two:

Soften a couple of finely chopped shallots in olive oil and butter
Throw in a few fennel seeds
As they start to colour, a tablespoon or so of plain flour
Cook the flour until nutty brown
Deglaze the pan with some Noilly Prat
Add some stock (I tend to use Marigold veg bouillon)
When it's ready, stir in some Dijon mustard
Season

I don't think I'm missing anything... If there are any nice brown sticky bits from the pan cooking the sausages I'll whack that in too.

deglaze the roasting pan with red wine, add baxters beef consomme, reduce, add butter. serve.
You can use any stock but the consomme tastes so much better

If you're roasting something then:

Pour off the fat from the roasting tin
Add a couple of spoonfuls of flour and some stock cubes. (Unless you've got homemade)
Scrape around the tin on a low heat
deglaze with wine if you have any
Add water gradually
Bring to boil and simmer
Sieve before serving

If you haven't roasted anything then Nigel Slater's recipe is good. I usually make a larger quantity though. You can't have too much gravy:

[i]Browned Onion and Madeira Gravy

I first intended this gravy to be poured over my toad in the hole but now make it for mashed potatoes, potato cakes, liver and braised vegetables (it is sensational with celery that has been braised in vegetable stock). It keeps for a couple of days in the fridge and is glorious poured over steaming hot, over bubble and squeak.

a very thick slice of butter
2 large onions, peeled and thinly sliced
flour, no more than a level tablespoon
1/3 cup Madeira, Marsala or red wine
1¼ cups stock
Worcestershire sauce

Melt the butter in a heavy based pan, add the onions and cook over a low heat till golden and soft. Now continue cooking, covered with a lid, until the onions are truly brown and soft enough to crush between your fingers.

Stir in a level heaped tablespoon of flour and cook for a few minutes until it has lightly browned, then pour in the liquids. Season with salt and pepper and Worcestershire sauce and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat so that the gravy bubbles gently and leave for about fifteen minutes, stirring from time to time.[/i]

this is the daddy (nigel slater inspired)

brown sausages with a small amount of oil in an oven proof pan

remove sausages, add 1 sliced onion per person and cook slowly till soft, then whack up the heat a bit to brown them

a dessert 2 or spoon of flour, stir in to give it a bit of a cook

add you liquid gradually - veg stock/ pork stock/ cicken stock/ bit of red wine maybe, marsala is nice if you have it (i favour a mix of veg stock and some red wine or marsala)

add some redcurrant jelly for sweetness, maybe a bit of dijon, worcester sauce, mushroom ketchup - nice

then once your gravy is looking and tasting lush, put your sausages in with the gravy, and put the whole lot in the oven to cook through (about 40 mins or so)

yum, yum , yum - you really do go to the next level when you cook sausages and gravy together