And Really Not Recipe... White Gravy

...and Really Not is a section devoted to those decidedly unnatural products that we just can't seem to purge from our lives. Of course, this would include recipes that aren't the best for our bodies, but truly wonderful for our souls.

A special thanks to Spencer Gardner and his knowledge of down-home cookin' for this traditional recipe (and truly Spencer iteration) for White Gravy...

White Gravy by Spencer Gardner

I think before we get in to the actual recipe I should give some background on the subject. It is unclear exactly where white gravy originated. However, I am inclined to believe some of its charm and good looks, came from the early American settlers. More than likely, the cowboy played a part as well. Well maybe not the cowboy, maybe a man the movies called Cookie. Yes, that's right the original Roach Coach, the Covered Wagon. Without any way to keep things cold, they needed a cooking agent that provided flavor, that could travel and not spoil. That secret ingredient was lard.

Now there are a couple of ways to make white gravy. I grew up on a beef farm in Miami County, Kansas. So as a child it was my understanding that you could not make white gravy without making chicken fried steak first. The recipe will depend on how many people you are serving. As a general rule I cook for 4 people, since my wife and I do not yet have children.

So you will need 4 decent pieces of round or cube steak, either will be fine, you might find that the round steak will be a larger cut of meat. You will need a bowl with some flour -- the more steak you have the more flour you will need. You will need a good size skillet, and some vegetable oil.

Cover the bottom of the skillet with the oil. A good way to get the right amount of oil is to pour the oil in to the skillet and don't stop pouring until the bottom of the skillet is covered. This does not mean pour a drop in and twirl the skillet to get the coverage you need. No, pour in the oil.

Now, I like to use a cast iron skillet, but let's be honest, those are expensive and a little hard to find. Any skillet will do for our purposes.

After you have poured in your oil put your skillet on medium heat. Now take your round steak and coat the steak in flour. Make sure you get a good coat of flour, because that is where your crispy taste comes from.

After you have coated the steak, it is ready to be put in the skillet. Now turn your burner to low heat. This is not a thick cut of meat and in the oil will cook it quickly.

At this point in time you can get the milk out of the fridge with another beer for yourself.

Keep an eye on those steaks while you mix less than half a cup of flour and half a quart of milk. You can use the flour left over from what you used to cover those steaks. This is a slow process and you do it by sight and touch. The goal is avoid lumps and keep a good consistency. Start by just a little flour and just a little milk.

I bet those steaks are ready to be turned over now.

After you have mixed the milk and flour in a small bowl, those steaks should be about done, so take the steaks out of the skillet and pour in your milk and flour mix. Do this very slowly while you are mixing it in with your grease -- this is so it won't get lumpy. Now depending on how dark you like your white gravy you can add more milk and flour. Just make sure you mix them in a separate bowl and pour them into the grease slowly while mixing.

Continue stirring even after everything is mixed together to keep your gravy from burning to the bottom of the skillet. When the gravy begins to thicken you are done. Add salt and pepper to taste and enjoy.

Now If you don't want chicken fried steak but you want white gravy, my advice is to get a half pound of bacon. Don't peel the strips, instead just cut the bacon in to 1/2 inch squares and cook the bacon on low heat until brown. Now use the bacon grease with your milk and flour mixture and pick up the recipe from there.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I do.

Sincerely,

Spencer

P.S. I'm still working on my cooking name, but I like Ocsar.

May 5, 2006

And Really Not Recipe... White Gravy