Make-Ahead Christmas Gravy
I'm on a bit of a mission this year to make everyone's Christmas Day a little more stress-free by giving you all my best tips and tricks for getting ahead. Today is the gravy, arguably the hero of the dinner, and probably not something that people think to make in advance.
I have to confess that the idea is stolen from Mr Jamie Oliver as he opened my eyes to using chicken wings to pimp your gravy and add an extra depth of flavour to your roast dinner. The best thing is that it doesn't take very long to make and there's little to no effort involved, then you whack it in the freezer and forget about it until the big day.
Make-Ahead Christmas Gravy
2 large onions
3 carrots
2 sticks of celery
4 rashers of streaky bacon
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 star anise
10 free-range chicken wings
olive oil
100ml sherry or port (optional)
4 tablespoons plain flour
On the Day:
2 tablespoons Cranberry sauce
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
Peel the onions, wash the carrots, then roughly chop with the celery and bacon. Put the veg, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and star anise into a sturdy high-sided roasting tray, then scatter the chopped bacon on top. Break the chicken wings open, bash with your knife (careful of fingers!) to help release extra flavour as they cook, then add to the tray. Drizzle with oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, toss, then cook for 1 hour, or until tender.
Remove the tray from the oven and transfer to a low heat on the hob. Really grind and mash everything with a potato masher, scraping up all the goodness from the base of the tray. The longer you let it fry, the darker your gravy will be, so keep stirring it at this stage for about 5 minutes. If you want to add sherry or port, now’s the time to do so; add it to the tray and just leave it to cook away for a few minutes.
Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 2 litres of boiling kettle water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. When the gravy is the consistency of your liking, pour it through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, pushing all the goodness through with the back of a spoon. Taste and season to perfection, cool to room temperature, then pour into containers or bags and pop into the fridge or freezer, ready to finish off on Christmas Day.
On the day:
If frozen, take the gravy out to defrost when your turkey goes into the oven. When the turkey’s perfectly cooked, remove it to a platter to rest for up to 2 hours, covered with a double layer of tin foil and a clean tea towel. Skim away most of the fat from the tray, cool, and place into a jar in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. Pour your Get-ahead gravy into the tray with the rest of the turkey juices. Bring to the boil over the hob and scrape up all those sticky bits from the base. Have a taste, then stir in the Cranberry sauce to balance the flavours.
Once your gravy is piping hot, carefully strain through a coarse sieve into a pan, then leave it on the lowest heat until you’re ready to serve. Skim away any fat that rises to the top, and add any extra resting juices from the turkey before serving.
I have to confess that the idea is stolen from Mr Jamie Oliver as he opened my eyes to using chicken wings to pimp your gravy and add an extra depth of flavour to your roast dinner. The best thing is that it doesn't take very long to make and there's little to no effort involved, then you whack it in the freezer and forget about it until the big day.
Make-Ahead Christmas Gravy
2 large onions
3 carrots
2 sticks of celery
4 rashers of streaky bacon
2 fresh bay leaves
2 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 sprigs of fresh rosemary
2 star anise
10 free-range chicken wings
olive oil
100ml sherry or port (optional)
4 tablespoons plain flour
On the Day:
2 tablespoons Cranberry sauce
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
Peel the onions, wash the carrots, then roughly chop with the celery and bacon. Put the veg, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and star anise into a sturdy high-sided roasting tray, then scatter the chopped bacon on top. Break the chicken wings open, bash with your knife (careful of fingers!) to help release extra flavour as they cook, then add to the tray. Drizzle with oil, season with sea salt and black pepper, toss, then cook for 1 hour, or until tender.
Remove the tray from the oven and transfer to a low heat on the hob. Really grind and mash everything with a potato masher, scraping up all the goodness from the base of the tray. The longer you let it fry, the darker your gravy will be, so keep stirring it at this stage for about 5 minutes. If you want to add sherry or port, now’s the time to do so; add it to the tray and just leave it to cook away for a few minutes.
Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in 2 litres of boiling kettle water. Simmer for 30 minutes, or until thickened and reduced, stirring occasionally. When the gravy is the consistency of your liking, pour it through a coarse sieve into a large bowl, pushing all the goodness through with the back of a spoon. Taste and season to perfection, cool to room temperature, then pour into containers or bags and pop into the fridge or freezer, ready to finish off on Christmas Day.
On the day:
If frozen, take the gravy out to defrost when your turkey goes into the oven. When the turkey’s perfectly cooked, remove it to a platter to rest for up to 2 hours, covered with a double layer of tin foil and a clean tea towel. Skim away most of the fat from the tray, cool, and place into a jar in the fridge for tasty cooking another day. Pour your Get-ahead gravy into the tray with the rest of the turkey juices. Bring to the boil over the hob and scrape up all those sticky bits from the base. Have a taste, then stir in the Cranberry sauce to balance the flavours.
Once your gravy is piping hot, carefully strain through a coarse sieve into a pan, then leave it on the lowest heat until you’re ready to serve. Skim away any fat that rises to the top, and add any extra resting juices from the turkey before serving.
Comments
Post a Comment