Cooking Lessons #159 Mom’s Turkey Giblet Gravy

The 2020 Holidays Recipe Collection

How you doin’? There are so many important interchangeable parts to a classic Thanksgiving Day turkey dinner—and you don’t want to miss any of them. Just think, what would turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes be without a classic gravy made with the turkey giblets (neck, liver, heart, gizzard) already roasting and browning in the oven with the bird. Close your eyes as you read this, and you may even get a waft of the aroma from the turkey roasting in my imaginary oven. Giblet gravy, a gravy made with the choicest pieces of the bird, is considered the queen of gravies.
 
Turkeys were plentiful in jolly ole England before 1550. They arrived there having made their way to Europe on Spanish ships transporting them from the new world. The Pilgrims and other British colonists already had recipes for turkey before they landed in North America.
 
Back then, it was like shooting turkeys in a barrel--they would find flocks of up to 5,000 wild turkeys gathered by rivers and stream… a veritable feast for the starving colonists. In addition to boiling, frying, and baking them, roasting was one of the most common means of preparing turkey in colonial times.
 
Amelia Simmons’ recipe in American Cookery calls for stuffing the bird with bread stuffing, roasting, and basting it. In what may have set the precedent for the modern Thanksgiving Day dinner, Amelia instructs her reader to cook and serve the turkey with cranberry-sauce, mashed potatoes and gravy, of course.
 
This is mom’s recipe for Giblet Gravy. It is very rich and delicious. I love it. I think it’s the best turkey gravy, but then that’s what I grew up eating at every Thanksgiving Day feast.
 
Prep time:  20 minutes
Cook time:  1 hour
Yield: 12 4-ounce servings
 
Ingredients
4 ounces turkey giblets, uncooked
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup diced yellow onion
1-quart cold water
1/3 cup turkey fat (or chicken fat or butter)
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1-1/2 quarts hot stock (from cooking giblets, plus turkey stock or drippings)
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
 
Directions

1. In a medium pot, simmer the giblets, bay leaf, onion and water until the giblets are tender, approximately 1 hour.  When done, discard the onion and bay leaf.
2. Strain and reserve the broth.
3. Dice the giblets into 1/8-inch pieces or chop with a French knife.
4. Melt the turkey fat. Add flour and cook for 5 to 10 minutes to form a medium light-colored roux.
5. Add the stock to the roux, stirring with a wire whip.  Cook until smooth and glossy.
6. Add the salt and diced giblets.
7. Serve hot over turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes.

           
ChefSecret:  If planning to make stuffing and gravy using turkey giblets, you may need to ask your meat shop manager to toss in some additional giblets just to make sure you have enough for all you want to cook. Remember, you can never have enough gravy or stuffing.

Covid-19 Quip of the Day:  “Why did the turkey cross the road?  Because the turkey behind it didn’t know how to socially distance properly.”
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Here is wishing you the very best for the upcoming holidays. To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind welcoming in the holiday season. If you have a little extra in your pockets to share with others at this difficult time, please consider donating to Feeding America. Thanks for reading.

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