A Delicious and Easy Brown Onion Gravy with Bonuses

Brown Onion Gravy

Most people when they want to make a gravy to go with their dinner they reach for a quick instant packet or box of commercially prepared gravy mix.

Some know how to make good gravy from the roasting pan after roasting a joint of meat.

Very few know how to make a gravy from scratch without the tasty bits in the bottom of a roasting pan or coming out of a box or packet.

Personally I do not like the taste of commercial gravy mixes either for the taste or the chemicals that are hidden in them. Today we consume far too many chemicals that are contained in commercially manufactured products.

As well as these mixes not being good for us and in some cases down right unhealthy, they are too expensive, especially if we are on a budget.

I am going to show you how easy it is to make a wonderful brown onion gravy that will go with chicken, pork, beef, steaks, meat patties and sausages. The only meat it won’t go with is fish, seafood or shellfish. For these you are better with a parsley sauce or even a Mornay sauce or in other words a plain cheese sauce. All depends on your taste and budget but all as extremely easy to make.

At the end of the recipe I am going to give you 5 bonus meal ideas. Each can be made using up any leftover gravy.

Today however, I am going to show you a good old-fashion stand by:

Brown Onion Gravy.

4 medium sized onions, peeled and thinly sliced

¼ teaspoon salt

A good pinch or fresh ground black pepper

2 tablespoons Kecap Manis (sweet Soy Sauce)(normal say will also work)

1 ½ litres water or stock if you have it

Add the sliced onions to a frying pan or pot with a little oil

Add the salt and pepper to the onions.

Sauté the onions.

Cook until well browned. This is where your flavour is going to come from.

Add the Kecap Manis and water or stock.

Reduce the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes or until the onions are cooked through.

Thicken with a slurry using a little cornflour and water mixed together and simmer for another 2 minutes.

Serve with your favourite roast, grilled or fried meat, mashed potatoes and vegetables.

The gravy will keep well in the fridge for 3 days and is easily reheated or frozen to use the leftovers another day.

This recipe can very easily be doubled or tripled at those times of unexpected guests arriving.

This gravy also makes a fantastic base for a soup – just dilute with water or stock and add some cooked chopped meat or meat and vegetables.  Season to taste, heat and serve.

Photo credit Snackerz

You can also just add any vegetables that might be getting to the end of their time from the fridge and simmer gently until cooked. Adjust the seasonings and serve with hot fresh crusty bread rolls.

Photo credit Rhonda

Add some barely and or split peas to the soup, simmer until cooked giving a very satisfying winter warming soup.

Photo credit Brttyking

Add cooked leftover meat and leftover vegetables, heat through gently, and adjust seasonings to give a very quick and nutritious stew on a cold winters night.

Photo credit Ed Stites

Another quick meal that can be made from the leftover gravy is to heat it up and thin it down to almost double its volume.  Adjust the seasoning's to suit and spoon the soup into oven proof dishes. Float a thick slice of toasted French bread on top and sprinkle with your favourite grated cheese or even just place a slice of cheese over the bread and place under the grill to melt the cheese.

Photo credit cml599

Hey Presto! You have a quick and tasty French Onion style soup to whip up in a flash that will impress any discerning guest.

Cooking never needs to be expensive and it is amazing what meals can be made from something as simple as a few leftovers.

Soups and Stews are among the best comfort foods out for eating on a cold winters night and when  you can whip something up quickly or from what is leftover in the fridge then it makes it all the better.

For us when we were on the farm these types of dishes became our staples and were most welcomed on a freezing winters night after feed the stock or coming in from a late milking. These are perfect meals to throw together when you come home cold, wet and tired.

If you are adding barley or split peas to a soup here then just throw it all in the crock pot or slow cooker at lunchtime and it is piping hot and cooked for you, come supper time.

De-stress with these wonderful tasty and very economical meal ideas, made from a simple home made brown onion gravy, a few vegetables that might be past their prime or leftover cooked meats and vegetables.

And the real bonus – you save a lot of money by doing this while still providing your family with good wholesome food and no chemicals in sight.

Enjoy!

© KB Barnes