All-Purpose Gravy

Ingredients

• 0.5 cup carrot (Small; peeled and chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces.)
• 0.5 cup celery (Small rib; chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces.)
• 0.75 cup onion (Small; chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces.)
• 3 tbsp unsalted butter
• 0.25 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cup low-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 0.25 tsp dried thyme
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• salt (To taste, for final seasoning.)
• black pepper (To taste, for final seasoning; distinct from the whole peppercorns used during simmering.)

Steps

1. 1

   Place the carrot in a food processor and pulse until it is broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, using about five 1-second pulses. Add the celery and onion, then pulse until all the vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, using about five 1-second pulses.

2. 2

   Heat the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. When the butter’s foaming subsides, add the processed vegetables.

3. 3

   Cook the vegetables, stirring frequently, until softened and well browned, about 7 minutes. The vegetables should develop a deeply browned, roasted flavor.

4. 4

   Reduce the heat to medium. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until the flour is thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes.

5. 5

   Whisk constantly while gradually adding the chicken and beef broths. Bring the mixture to a boil, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface.

6. 6

   Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the bay leaf, dried thyme, and whole black peppercorns.

7. 7

   Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the gravy is thickened and reduced to 3 cups, about 20 to 25 minutes.

8. 8

   Strain the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the solids.

9. 9

   Adjust the seasoning with salt and black pepper. Serve hot.

Notes

The structured yield states “Serves 8 to 10 (Makes 2 cups),” while the instructions state that the gravy should be reduced to 3 cups; preserve the source discrepancy when planning portions. The gravy can be served with meat, poultry, or mashed potatoes. To double the recipe, use a Dutch oven to give the vegetables ample space for browning and increase the cooking times by roughly 50 percent. The finished gravy can be frozen. To thaw, place the gravy and 1 tablespoon of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring slowly to a simmer; if it appears broken or curdled, whisk vigorously to recombine.

Nutrition per serving

• sauce
• gravy
• American
• vegetarian base
• stovetop
• make-ahead
• freezer-friendly
• holiday