Gravy and "white" sauces are easy to make once you know the "secret".
We'll start with a basic recipe and I'll explain from there.
1 tbsp. oil, (butter, margarine or fat.)
1 tbsp. white, non-rising flour.
1 cup cool liquid, (water, milk, cooking juices.)
These ingredients would make a, (very thin and bland), "white" sauce.
Place your oil in a large enough sauce pan or skillet, warm on low heat making sure not to get it hot enough to scorch your flour. It only has to be warm enough to mix with your flour easily, (add the flour now and this is the secret), stir into a smooth paste with absolutely no flour lumps, not even small ones.
Now add your liquid, turn your heat to high and continuously stir the mixture until it comes to a boil.
The thickness of the sauce is dependent on the amount of flour added to the mixture. Its necessary to experiment a little to get the thickness you prefer.
Now some recipes built from the basic mixture.
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Warren's, sweet and sour, salad dressing, (also makes a good coleslaw dressing or dressing for German potato salad.)
Ingredients:
1/2 pound hickory smoked bacon
1 cup water
1 cup "apple cider" vinegar (necessary for flavor)
2 tbsp. flour
2 tbsp. sugar (may substitute Splenda brand sweetener)
Makes 2 cups of a slightly brown salad dressing.
Prepare salad ingredients before hand. I prefer leaf lettuce, cucumbers, tomatoes and sweet onions.
Fry bacon crispy and remove from pan, saving drippings. When bacon cools, crumble and set aside. (I usually cook all of this in one large cast Iron skillet to save on cleanup.)
When drippings cool, add flour and sugar then stir into a "smooth" paste. Add remaining ingredients, (water, vinegar and bacon crumbs), increase heat to high and stir continuously until mixture comes to a boil. Allow to set for one minute then pour mixture over salad ingredients, toss salad and serve warm.
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Quick and easy chicken gravy.
My family likes this more than turkey gravy at Thanksgiving.
Ingredients:
3 chicken bullion cubes
3 cups canned chicken broth
3 rounded tbsp. flour (if you like thin gravy, don't round)
3 tbsp cooking oil, (shortening, butter, etc.)
Makes three cups of light yellow, somewhat salty, gravy.
Warm oil in saucepan or skillet.
Add flour and stir into "smooth" paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients, increase the heat to high and stir continuously until it comes to a boil.
Cover and turn off heat, stir before serving.
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Warren's breakfast "milk" gravy. (I've also heard it called "sawmill gravy".)
4 tbsp bacon or sausage drippings
(You may also add sausage pieces to the gravy to make "sausage gravy".)
5 tbsp flour
3 cups milk
1 tsp coarse black pepper (or pepper to taste)
Makes 3 cups medium thick milk gravy.
Warm drippings in saucepan or skillet.
Add flour and stir into "smooth" paste.
Add the rest of the ingredients, increase the heat to high and stir continuously until it comes to a boil.
Turn off heat leave covered on stove, stir before serving
All of these recipes many be doubled or halved and I do so quite frequently. The thickness of each sauce is determined by the ratio of flour to the liquid ingredients, so with a little experimentation, you may thicken or thin them to your taste.
