Holiday Goodies: Grandma's Gravy -- and Other Thanksgiving Goodies

Thanksgiving: the perfect time to trot out your old favorite recipes...and a new one or two.

Some of the basics, however, are always needed -- like gravy. Good gravy remains a mystery for some cooks. How do you make it, so it's flavorful, yet not lumpy?

As a kid, I loved a pile of velvety turkey giblet gravy poured smoothly over mashed potatoes and stuffing. (Still do, for that matter.) As the mother of eight kids, who (with the exception of my mom) each had 6 or so kids themselves, Grandma had a lot of gravy to make. Her holiday table was HUGE, and stretched the length of the living room into the dining room...all the way to the deer head that hung on the wall (with a Rudolph red ball on his nose at Christmas), and almost to Tweety, the yellow canary whose cage basked in the thin winter sun in the alcove on the other side of the house.

Cousins, uncles and aunts all vied for the food, passed in huge bowls and platters: turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, squash, 'relishes' like celery, carrots and black olives. (The olives were usually gone by the time they reached the younger cousins, like me.) I made sure the jello zipped by (usually it had disgusting things in it, like cottage cheese), and grabbed extras of the stuffing. And, of course, the gravy...which by then, had been refilled by whatever aunt was manning the kitchen.

One stellar year, Grandma had gravy leftover at one event. So she froze it, planning to whip it out at Thanksgiving, mixing it in with the newmade stuff. My grandma was New England-born, and had a Mayflower ancestor. She was proud of that heritage. For Thanksgiving, therefore, everything had to be Absolutely Perfect.

The usual chaos ensued after the prayer: silverware clinking, voices, bowls passing at the speed of light. Then it happened. Everything stopped, for just a heartbeat.

Grandma was back in the kitchen. A cautious voice: "Who made the gravy??" Others answered, "Grandma did."

"It's terrible!" Voice #1 moaned. Groans ensued as others tried it. (Yes, me, too.) It was bitter! (Burned, no doubt.) Too bad, our moms insisted. We weren't going to hurt Grandma's feelings, no matter what. So everyone scraped as much gravy off their respective food as they could, and choked down the bits they couldn't. The kids had a wonderful time making gagging faces and whispering, "Grandma's gravy!" at each other. Fortunately, Grandma was so busy, she didn't really notice too much.

Naturally, Grandma had a LOT of gravy leftover that holiday. No doubt she wondered why no one ate much of it...but I really hope she didn't freeze that batch, as well.

'Grandma's Gravy' hasn't been repeated, though it's now a cherished family tradition. I did learn how to make excellent gravy, however, from my mom.

NEW ENGLAND-STYLE POULTRY GRAVY

*drippings from the pan you roasted a large chicken or turkey in

(add 1-2 cups water during the roasting period, to help keep the meat moist and make extra for gravy)

*giblets -- liver, heart, gizzards -- cut in small cubes, and simmered in a saucepan 1/3 water, for at least an hour

*some kind of extra flavoring (Mom used Kitchen Bouquet -- or I add a bouillon cube or two with the giblets)

*1/2 cup flour, plus salt and pepper to taste

Scrape the pan, to get every luscious bit out. Add to the saucepan and bring to a simmer. Meanwhile, mix the flour with water (this is called a "slurry") and pour into the saucepan, whisking as you go. Continue whisking until the gravy begins to thicken and bubble. Salt and pepper, then serve.

(Leftover gravy may be kept in the fridge, or frozen for later use. Check to see it's not 'Grandma's Gravy' before you serve it!)

Solving Gravy Problems:

*Lumps: this is the biggest issue for beginner cooks. Usually it happens because the slurry has been stirred in, then left to just -- sit. Constant stirring (whisking is better) will solve the problem. Or:

*Melt a few tablespoons of butter, then mix the flour in that before adding water.

*Substitute 1/4 cup of cornstarch. It makes a glossy-looking surface, and thickens quickly.

*Bland Flavor: the other problem, but this is easily solved. Add another chicken bouillon cube, some chopped mushrooms, a few tablespoons of butter, dried onion, onion or celery salt. Even more salt and pepper helps. Some cooks, like this one, add milk -- though neither Grandma nor Mom ever did. No sour cream, either.