Page:Meat for Thrifty Meals.djvu/28



Mix 1 pound each of ground raw pork and veal, add a chopped onion, 1 teaspoon flour, ¼ cup milk, 1 teaspoon salt, a dash of Pepper, and if desired ⅛ teaspoon thyme. Mold into cakes. After browning the cakes on both sides in hot fat, remove most of the fat, cover the pan, and cook the cakes slowly until they are thoroughly done to the center. Serve the pan drippings over the meat.

HE SECRET of making thickened gravy that is free from lumps and will not separate is to blend flour with fat in equal quantity, then add cool or lukewarm liquid gradually while stirring or beating the mixture over low heat. Use 1½ to 2 tablespoons each of flour and fat to 1 cup of liquid. The liquid may be juice that cooks out of roasted or braised meat, or broth made by stewing bones, or tomato juice, or liquor drained off any cooked vegetable, or water, or milk, or cream, or a mixture of these.

Season gravy to taste, but vary the seasonings. In addition to salt and pepper, try tomatoes or chopped parsley, or chopped celery and leaves, or chopped onion, or grated horseradish, or any favorite seasoning herbs. Some cooks like to add a bouillon cube for an extra touch of flavor and color. Browning the flour is another way of improving flavor and color of gravy. Also, the barbecue sauce described below adds zest to gravy. Always serve gravy piping hot.

To make gravy in a roasting pan, start by pouring the drippings out into a bowl or cup. Skim off the fat that rises to the top of the meat juice and set it aside. For 1½ cups of gravy, blend thoroughly in the roasting pan 3 tablespoons of flour and 3 tablespoons of fat from the drippings. Set the pan over low heat and add gradually with constant stirring 1½ cups of cool or lukewarm liquid. Season to taste. If the gravy is too thick, add more liquid. Cook the gravy slowly until smooth and thickened.

Pot roasts and other braised meats give up more of their flavor to the drippings than do oven roasts, so more gravy can usually be made with these dishes. However, the method of making gravy with a pot roast is the same as for an oven roast.

To make tomato gravy with lamb patties or hamburg steak, blend 3 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons of the drippings in the pan, then stir in gradually about 1½ cups of tomato juice, and cook until smooth and