Gravy is a staple for many dinners, especially a Christmas dinner with turkey and all the trimmings.
There’s nothing tastier than proper homemade gravy but it can be tedious to make, especially on the big day.
Jamie Oliver has shared his get-ahead gravy which can simply be frozen and then reheated for your dinner.
The recipe notes said: “Good gravy has the power to transform, or even save a meal. Open your mind to the slightly radical idea.”
This recipe takes around two hours, plus cooling and defrosting and makes one big batch of gravy.
Ingredients:
Two onions
Two carrots
Two sticks of celery
Two rashers of streaky smoked bacon
Two fresh bay leaves
Two sprigs of fresh sage
Two sprigs of fresh rosemary
Two star anises
10 chicken wings or three drumsticks and three chicken legs
Olive Oil
Optional: 60ml sherry or port
Four tablespoons plain flour
Two tablespoons of cranberry sauce
Method:
Preheat the oven to 180C and then peel the onions, wash the carrots, and roughly chop the celery and bacon.
Put the veg, bay leaves, sage, rosemary and star anise into a sturdy high-sided roasting tray, then scatter the chopped bacon on top.
Add the chicken to the tray, drizzle with oil, season with salt and pepper, toss and then cook for one hour. If you’re using chicken wings, break them open first and bash them with a rolling bin.
Remove the tray and transfer on the hob, mashing with a potato masher and scraping the bottom, adding the sherry or port now if using.
Gradually stir in the flour, then pour in two litres of boiling water, simmering for 30 minutes or until thickened and reduced.
When the gravy is the consistency of your liking, pour it through a sieve into a bowl, and then cool to room temperature.
Store it in bags or containers and pop it in the freezer ready to finish on Christmas Day.
Two days before Christmas, take the gravy out of the freezer and place it in the fridge.
On the day, pour your defrosted get-ahead gravy into the tray you roasted your turkey in.
Bring to a boil, scraping the bottom and then stirring in the cranberry sauce to balance the flavours.
Once the gravy is hot, strain it into a sieve back into a pan and them leave it on low heat until ready to serve.
