gravy

[Jeanean]

I am frying a turkey and baking a ham for Thanksgiving, and realized I will not have any drippings for gravy, any suggestions for making a gravy without drippings.
Thanks, Jeanean

[phatch]

This is part of the reason I do a smallish turkey early in November. I get drippings, I get to make stock and I freeze it for the main event to augment and improve it.

Cook's Illustrated has a moderately acceptable gravy without drippings. This link should work:

All-Purpose Gravy*Recipe*-*Cook's Illustrated 11/2003

I think it's too vegetal with-out the roasted caramelized meat flavor I want in gravy. But it's better than the canned things or other processed substitutes. This is a time a really good home made chicken stock is appropriate, roasted/brown chicken stock would probably be better.


Phil

[Jeanean]

Thanks for the help, I will try it.

[abefroman]

Brown the neck and giblets, add the mirepoix, add flour, add stock, strain.

[oldschool1982]

Make sure you pick up a package or two of necks for roasting. That way you can have a bit more volume to reduce and concentrate the flavor. My recipe is as follows;

Turkey necks 2 pkgs or approx 3 lbs
turkey wings 2 pkgs or approx 3 lbs
Onion, medium, cut in qtrs 1ea
carrots peeled, cut in 1" pieces 2ea
celery stalks, cut in 1" pieces 2ea
canola oil 1Tbsp
Rosemary, Fresh 2 branches
Thyme, fresh 2 branches
sage, fresh 1 leaf cluster
bay leaf, fresh 3ea
cloves, whole 4ea
parsley stems,fresh 12ea
Peppercorns 6ea
Cold water to cover
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Place wings and neck in deep sided roasting pan. Toss onion, carrot and celery in canola oil and layer in pan with wings and necks. Place roasting pan in 400deg oven for 40 minutes. Turn wings and necks after 20 minutes. Remove from oven, place in stock pot and cover with water. Add remaining ingredients except for salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over med high flame and then reduce to slow roll after 5 minutes. Skim scum off top as it rises and continue to simmer for 3 hrs.
Remove from heat and strain through chinoise. Place strained stock in another appropriate sized stock pot and begin to reduce. Reduce to 50%of original volume. Adjust seasoning and thicken with roux to desired thickness.
Serve immediately or refrigerate and reheat for service later.
This is the exact gravy recipe I used this year and have used for the last 26. Although I add the dripping from the turkey just before serving.

[teamfat]

A bit late now, but if you have the time and inclination you can get some turkey wings or legs, roast them in a hot oven to brown, then simmer for some stock. As I sit here typing this, the house smells *really* good as I'm roasting some garlic, carrots and other veggies to make a big batch of broth for soup and some vegetarian stuffing. We have a couple coming over that would prefer meatless dishes, so I'm working on making everything vegetarian but the turkey and gravy. Could be interesting. Or we'll never hear from our guests again!

mjb.

[Pete]

Just use the neck and giblets to make a stock with and use that as your gravy base.

[shakeandbake]

Thanks, I went online to post the same question. Figured I would pick up a smoked drumstick/wings and use the neck, etc., but good to have the confirmation.