The Erie Cookbook Revisited: How To Make A Nice Gravy

In the 1881 Erie Cook Book, Ms. Laura C. Sterrett posits, "How to make a nice gravy is a problem many home cooks never solve. Remember that grease is not gravy, neither is raw flour. Almost any kind of meat-liquor or stock, from which fat has been removed, may be made into a gravy by adding seasonings and a thickening paste. When thickened with raw flour, it must boil or the gravy will taste like a gummy paste."

Makes four cups gravy

2 tablespoons butter

Scant 1/4 cup flour

4 cups stock

Salt and pepper

Making a gravy requires careful attention. Place the butter into a saucepan over medium heat. As the butter begins to melt, whisk in the flour. Continue whisking until the mixture darkens to a tan color, ensuring it is smooth and not mealy. Add in one cup of hot stock and whisk until thickened and smooth. Add in the rest of the stock and rapidly simmer the gravy for five to seven minutes until thickened.

If the flour and butter is mealy, remove the pan from the heat and whisk in 1 more tablespoon of flour.

Bonus! Chicken Pie

Deconstruct a 5-pound chicken and add it to a large pot of hot water, covering the chicken by 1 inch. Season the water with one tablespoon of salt, pepper, and bay leaves, simmer for 40 minutes. Remove the chicken and when it is cool, chop it into cubes. Make a gravy by using the recipe above with the resulting chicken liquor (i.e. stock). Line a large baking dish with biscuit dough or a pie crust. Cover the dough in chicken and gravy and bake at 375 for one hour until the gravy is bubbling.

Makes one large chicken pie

If using pie dough, par bake for 25 minutes.

Revised from Laura Sterrett's recipes for "Good Gravy" and "Chicken Pie" from pages 34 and 140 of The Erie Cook Book.