Julie Scott Nutrition

Healthy Turkey Gravy

Servings

Ingredients

Bone broth or vegetable stock
Turkey pan drippings
Salt and pepper to taste
¼ cup organic flour or cornstarch for thickening the sauce with a roux*

Instructions

First prepare the bone broth or vegetable stock. If you don’t have bones, just use the vegetables recommended in the bone broth recipe and leave out the apple cider vinegar. You can prepare the broth the day before and have it ready in the refrigerator or just start it several hours before you put the turkey in the oven. If you are using bones in the broth, you will need a minimum of 4 hours to get the nutrients out of the bone. The longer it simmers, the better.
In order to get turkey pan drippings, you need to start by cooking your turkey. Place the turkey in the oven for roasting. Pour 3-4 cups of white wine at the bottom of the turkey roasting pan so that you will have a generous amount of pan drippings. Cook your turkey according to your personal preference.
When the turkey is done cooking, remove the turkey from the oven and set it aside to cool down and rest. Set the roasting pan with the turkey drippings on a medium-high heat on the stove-top. You may need to cover two burners due to the size of the roasting pan. Heat up the turkey drippings and add one cup of broth to the pan and stir. Be sure to scrape any turkey bits from the bottom of the roasting pan to get them into the gravy.
Pour this gravy liquid into a large measuring cup or small bowl. If you have time, place in it in the refrigerator for 15-30 minutes to let the fat float to the top and harden. If you have less time you can just let the fat float to the top and spoon it out into a separate container. You can use this fat to make your roux (or you can discard it, if you want to make your roux with water).
Now it is time to make the roux. If you are using the separated fat, put it in pan and heat it up. You should have about a quarter cup of fat to which you will add a quarter cup of flour or cornstarch. If you have less than a quarter cup of fat, you can add some broth get to that amount. Just be sure to keep the roux ratio of 1:1 of fat to flour or cornstarch. When the fat is hot, add the flour or cornstarch. Stir until smooth. Slowly add your gravy mixture to the roux and heat it up. Allow the liquid to thicken to desired consistency. If it is too thick, add more broth. Add salt and pepper to taste.
If you are using water instead of fat for the roux, take two to four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch put it in a cup with the same amount of water. Stir strongly until the mixture is completely smooth. Slowly add the roux to the gravy and stir. Allow the gravy to thicken to the desired consistency. If you need more, make as much as you need to thicken the gravy. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes

* A roux is equal parts flour and fat cooked together and which is then used to thicken a sauce. I usually use water instead of fat for the roux. It is easier to make the roux with water but but it doesn’t blend as well and requires more stirring.