Onion Gravy
Originally created as a traditional accompaniment to the UK dish and Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Bangers & Mash, onion gravy is great on meatloaf , a man roasted pork chop or on top of bot buttered noodles.
Gravy originally was defined as a sauce made from the pan drippings of roasted meats and poultry and is always served hot. Modern interpretations qualify that by calling it pan gravy if so made, and gravy itself can be made standalone if need be.
Gravy has been around since the Byzantine Empire right up thought the Middle Ages. The word itself is from Middle English gravé so it likely came about in France during the period when sauces were becoming in vogue in the 17th Century. The first printed recipe for gravy appeared in 1726 and by the Victorian Era, gravy was almost a national dish in Great Britain.
A National Dish in the UK
Onion Gravy is a requirement for one of the UK's national dishes and the Kitchen Tapestry recipe for Bangers & Mash (the other two national UK dishes being Roast Beef & Yorkshire Pudding and Fish & Chips).
Kitchen Tapestry has posted Onion Gravy as its own recipe because the standard pub grub fare notwithstanding, it's a delicious accompaniment to a hamburger steak, a pan roasted pork chop, meatloaf, atop hot buttered noodles or even in a simple baked potato.
I'll give credit to Kimberly at the daring gourmet website for inspiration on this onion gravy, in spite of her audacity to call this BEST Onion Gravy (the capital letters are hers). As usual, the hubris of some bloggers to make us believe any recipe cannot be improved astounds me. And as a matter of fact, that's what I did. My version uses naturally sweet onions instead of adding sugar to the recipe as hers did. I used beef stock, not broth, more red wine and more seasonings than hers, but I'll give her credit for the addition of balsamic vinegar and just a smidgen of yellow mustard. Nice touch.
Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 large sweet onions, diced (like, Vidalia or Texas-1015)
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 stick unsalted butter
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 cups beef stock (like, Swanson's or Kitchen Basics )
- 1 tbsp dried sage
- 1 tbsp powdered thyme
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 8-10 grinds freshly cracked black pepper
- 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard (like, French's)
- 2 tbsp corn starch dissolved in 4-5 tbsp warm water (a slurry)
Instructions
- Add the olive oil and butter to a large saucepan over medium high heat.
- When the butter has melted, add the onions. Stirring frequently, cook them until they caramelize and turn dark golden brown, 20-25 minutes.
- Add the red wine and de-glaze the pan, being sure to scrape up all the crusty brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Simmer and reduce for about 5 minutes.
- Add the beef stock and the remaining ingredients except the slurry. Blend well and again, stirring frequently, simmer the gravy over medium to medium low heat for 10 more minutes.
- Add the slurry to the gravy, about a fourth at a time. Stir it in well and allow the gravy to come back to a simmer for a couple of minutes as the sauce thickens.
- Assess if you want a thicker sauce and if so, add a quarter more of the slurry. Continue until you have reached your desired consistency.
- Be sure to simmer the gravy for at least two minutes after adding any additional slurry.
