Make-Ahead Yummy Gravy

All-purpose gravy 

Makes about 2 cups

Prep time:  10 minutes

Total time:  55 minutes (includes 20 minutes simmering time)

You don’t need pan drippings to make great gravy.  This version relies on vegetables and chicken and beef broths for a rich, full-bodied gravy that can be served with almost any type of meat or poultry or simply over mashed potatoes.  If you would like to double the recipe, use a Dutch oven to give the vegetables ample room for browning and increase the cooking times by roughly 50 percent.  To prevent lumps from forming, be sure to whisk constantly when adding the broths.

3 T. unsalted butter

1 carrot, peeled and chopped fine

1 rib celery, chopped fine

1 onion, minced

¼ c. all-purpose flour

2 c. low-sodium chicken broth

2 c. low-sodium beef broth

1 bay leaf

1 t. minced fresh thyme or ¼ t. dried

5 whole black peppercorns

Salt and Pepper

1.      Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the vegetables and cook until softened and well browned, about 9 minutes.  Stir in the flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned, about 5 minutes.

2.     Gradually whisk in the broths and bring to a boil.  Add the bay leaf, thyme and peppercorns and simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened 20 to 25 minutes, skimming off any foam that forms on the surface.

3.     Pour 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.  Season the gravy with salt and pepper to taste.

Test Kitchen Tip:  The color and flavor of this gravy come from the cooking the vegetables and flour until they are well-browned.  It may seem as though they are turning too dark, but trust us, it is a step necessary to produce richly flavored and colored gravy.

To make ahead:  The gravy can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 4 days or frozen for up to 2 months.  Reheat over low heat, stirring to recombine, or microwave, stirring often, until warm and smooth, 1 to 3 minutes.  To thaw, place the gravy and 1 T. of water in a saucepan over low heat and bring to a simmer slowly.  The gravy may appear broken or curdled as it thaws, but a vigorous whisking will recombine it.