Turkey Gravy

Any turkey meal is incomplete without some good turkey gravy to go along with it. Gravy is pretty simple to make and all you need is the neck that comes with the turkey, some vegetables and spices, water, and time to let it simmer. For this gravy, my dad and I used the neck to make a turkey stock, reserved some of it for the stuffing and mashed potatoes, and used the rest for the gravy along with the giblets (gizzard and heart).

Ingredients:

Turkey Stock:

Turkey neck

2 celery ribs roughly chopped

2 carrots roughly chopped

1 medium yellow onion roughly chopped

1 tablespoon whole cloves

1 tablespoon whole peppercorns

6-8 cups of water

Turkey Gravy

Turkey stock

Giblets

½ medium yellow onion chopped

2-3 tablespoons flour (depending on how thick you want the gravy – the more flour, the thicker the gravy)

Salt and pepper to taste

To Cook:

1.     Put all ingredients for the turkey stock in a pot and bring to a boil

2.     Lower the heat and simmer the stock for 3 hours

3.     Strain the stock and discard neck and vegetables (reserve half of stock for stuffing and potatoes)

4.     In the pot, sautee onions and giblets in olive oil

5.     Add flour and stir constantly to avoid burning and make a roux (flour should be golden when it’s ready)

6.     Add half of the stock and stir

7.     Let gravy simmer for another 40 minutes, covered

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