Basic gravy

Name: Basic gravy
Yield: Makes 2 litres (3½ pints)
Cuisine: British
Ingredients: few celery stalks, chopped; 5 carrots, peeled and roughly chopped; few thyme sprigs; 2 kg (4½ lb) beef, veal, lamb or chicken bones, or a mixture, chopped into small pieces; 3 onions, peeled and roughly chopped; sea salt and pepper; 3 leeks, well rinsed and roughly chopped; 1 tbsp tomato purée; ½ head of garlic; 1 bay leaf; 1–2 tsp cornflour, mixed with a little water (optional); 3–4 litres (5–7 pints) dark meat stock or ready-made stock; 10 black peppercorns; 2 tbsp plain flour

Preparation info

Makes
2 litres

Difficulty
Complex

Appears in

British Food

By Mark Hix

Published 2005

About

Make a sizeable quantity of gravy and freeze it in small tubs, ready to defrost quickly for a proper gravy to go with a roast. Keep some frozen in ice-cube trays to use in smaller quantities for enhancing sauces.