it comes in pints?

Wavy Gravy

Anybody remember that nutjob? Only reason I mention him is that Brian tagged me with a food meme, and he used a rhyming title for his post. And since I'm posting about gravy, this was the only rhyme I could think of. I suppose I could have said "Davy" but that would sound stupid, unlike Wavy which not so much stupid as just, er, frickin' weird.

Where was I? Oh yeah. Food meme.

The rules, as I gather, are that the food should, as Brian put it, be "peasant" food (or the American equivalent), that it be delicious, simple, cheap to make, and not too healthy. Well, now, that's just my style. Except for the "delicious" part, because I'm not that much of a cook. I learned a little from my Mom and my Auntie but whenever I try to put into practice what they taught me, the wondrous American ranch/farm style dishes they made, the results are something less than great. But bear with me, I'll still try.

Anyway, when I was little we didn't have much money so the fare was simple and inexpensive. One particular dish my Mom made that I ABSOLUTELY FRICKIN' LOVE WITH ALL MY HEART AND PALATE is an old military favorite. Well, perhaps not a "favorite". But my Mom used to make hamburger gravy served over bread (or biscuits or toast), a civilian equivalent, if you will, of the old "Shit on a shingle". BTW, definitely read the linked article for some modern PC bullshit in what passes for a Navy these days. Pansies.

Where was I? Oh yeah, shit on a shingle. Now granted, it wasn't actually made with dried, chipped beef, but it was absolutely delicious. I loved it whenever Mom made it or any of the other various gravy-involving dishes she made (venison with milk gravy, creamed peas, etc.).

Unfortunately, the Sainted Bride does not like gravy (or thinks she doesn't) so I have rarely had an opportunity to make it as an adult. I did make some once when she was off doing something and the kids enjoyed it (this was actually a variant made with country sausage, but the principle still applies).

Anyway, without further ado, here is a simple, (reasonably) cheap, delicious recipe for shit on a shingle hamburger gravy on toast.

Ingredients:

1 lb. Hamburger (beef only, and no any kind of lowfat crap; I substitute ground chicken or turkey for some stuff but not this) – (although, substituting a pound of sausage is really damned good too).
2 tbsp. flour
Two cups milk (full fat, no lowfat crap), warmed
Salt and pepper to taste
A dash of Worcestershire sauce or Kitchen Bouquet if, like me, you are not much of a cook.

Instructions:

1) Brown the hamburger and crumble it.

2) When the hamburger is browned, add the flour. Cook for a couple of minutes

3) Sprinkle with salt and pepper (extra pepper is always good, but it's to taste)

4) Slowly add the warmed milk, stirring constantly. Adjust the quantity of milk, if you like a different thickness.

5) I can never make gravy as good as Mom or Auntie did, so I often add a dash of Worcestershire sauce or Kitchen Bouquet to my gravy.

6) Serve on sliced bread, toast, biscuits, English muffins, or mashed potatoes (or anything else you want, this shit's GREAT on anything).

And oh, by the by, the basic milk gravy (ignoring the hamburger and just using drippings from other meats) can be made with any kind of pan drippings. Go wild, baby!

I suppose I'm supposed to tag people. I'll tag the Bingster. Perhaps some others later. I'll think about it. But right now I have some Chicken Tikka Masala to make.

Posted by Ken S at March 29, 2008 04:47 PM | TrackBack (0) |