Riiiiicccchhhh, creeeaaaammmmyy, gggrraaavvvyyy! The glue that brings everything together. It is so delicious I could swoon over it. Say it again with me, rich, creamy, gravy. You want it, you need, you must have it! And let’s be honest, what would Thanksgiving be without the goodness of gravy? You know, so delicious you could pour it over your entire plate of food, including that weird jello salad that your aunt, the crazy cat lady made. We all have that one mysterious salad show up at those family gatherings. The one you don’t know quite what to do with, are questioning whether you can choke it down, neon greenish in color and so you just pour gravy on it.
Don’t be ashamed, we all do it. The reality in my family, that one weird dish is probably mine. And that neon color, its called seaweed. Did I really? No, but seaweed is a highly beneficial food, chocked full of tons of nutrients, it probably would be a great dish to add to your Thanksgiving food. Wait, then again you would become that one crazy cat lady who brought seaweed to Thanksgiving, Weird! You could probably pour gravy over it, but then again you probably shouldn’t because that could very well be the only food on the face of the earth that wouldn’t be good smothered in gravy.
But everything else, fair game, pour it on, make a puddle with it and then lick it up. That’s how you work with gravy folks. And apparently this took a turn for the worse at some point. Was it the crazy cat lady or the seaweed salad? Someone please pull me back in. It is just so hard to focus when all I can think about is gravy….grrrraaaavvvvyyyy.
But I totally feel like gravy is like an 80’s thing. Are people too proper to eat gravy more than just on Thanksgiving? I’m not opposed to it, in fact I’m pretty sure if I had gravy in the refrigerator, like a condiment, I would use it at nearly every meal. And why not, this gravy is full of nutrients and flavor. Hold up, did I say nutrients? Wait a minute, gravy = fat = bad for our bodies. Think again folks, this gravy is what I like to call stress-free, dripping free, healthy, holiday gravy.
Okay I get you, gravy just isn’t gravy without the drippings. But I can sure tell you that if you can make this gravy days in advance as opposed to sweating over the hot stove, whisking and whisking and praying there is no clumping, waiting for it to thicken while the vultures are standing around watching the turkey get cold all the while waiting for that darn gravy to thicken. We’ve all been there right? Okay, maybe not if you left gravy in the 80’s, but let’s bring it back and speak in reality, while gravy, “traditional” gravy, is made with meat drippings and darn delicious, I would advise you to be a rebel, plow a new path, stop sweating over that darn stove and make your gravy two days in advance. Let the flavors mingle in the refrigerator all the while you are enjoying the company around you. Dripping free gravy people, dripping free.
So how does it thicken you wonder…with veggies! Bang, boom, bam it’s finished. Savory dripping free gravy it is. So healthy, you really can pour it on everything. Wait, don’t pour it on everything until Thanksgiving meal, well that is if you are making it in advance so you don’t have to slave over the stove, while the turkey is getting cold and the vultures are hovering. If you want to pour it on everything, like yesterday, then make this now as a “trial” run. No one has to know. It is our little secret.
Oh you know you like gravy too…Gravy is my ketchup. And now I am embarrassed…
Check out the rest of my Thanksgiving posts:
- 8 oz. mushrooms
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp tomato paste
- 1-2 tsp Tamari sauce (depending on taste)
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 cups broth
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- salt & pepper, to taste
- In a medium sauce pan, heat butter over low-medium heat.
- Add chopped onion and mushroom and saute until caramelized and tender.
- Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Then add tomato paste, tamari sauce, thyme, and broth.
- Bring to a boil and add salt and pepper.
- Reduce to a simmer until liquid has cooked down slightly and flavors have meshed.
- Remove from heat and pour in a blender or use and immersion blender to puree until smooth.
- Serve or refrigerate for up to 3 days.
