Gravy

Summary

Gravy is an English sauce made often from the juices that run naturally from meat or vegetables during cooking.

Contents

Gravy (not to be confused with Italian tomato sauce gravy) is generally defined as a sauce made from meat juices, often combined with broth or milk, and thickened with a starch.

Vegetable gravy or Vegetarian gravy is gravy made with boiled or roasted vegetables. A quick and flavorful vegetable gravy can be made from any combination of vegetable broth or vegetable stock, flour, and one of either butter, oil, or vegan margarine. One recipe uses vegetarian Bouillon cubes with cornstarch (corn flour) as a thickener (Cowboy Roux), which is whisked into boiling water. Sometimes vegetable juices are added to enrich the flavor, which may give the gravy a dark green color. Wine could be added. There are also commercially produced instant gravy granules which are suitable for both vegetarians and vegans.

White gravy (Sawmill gravy in Appalachian cuisine) is the gravy typically used in biscuits and gravy and chicken-fried steak. It is essentially a Béchamel sauce, with the roux being made of meat drippings and flour. Milk or cream is added and thickened by the roux; once prepared, black pepper and bits of mild sausage or chicken liver are normally added. Besides white and sawmill gravy, common names include cream gravy, country gravy, and milk gravy.