DATE: Wednesday, November 19, 1997          TAG: 9711150125

SECTION: FLAVOR                  PAGE: F1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY MARY FLACHSENHAAR, CORRESPONDENT 

                                            LENGTH:   68 lines

YOU REALLY CAN MAKE GLORIOUS GRAVY

ON THANKSGIVING DAY, cooks throughout Hampton Roads will use a variety of methods and ingredients to transform lowly pan drippings into lovely gravy.

To thicken her gravy, cooking teacher Janie Jacobson of Virginia Beach swears by kuzu, a starch extract from the Japanese plant known as kudzu in the South. She buys it in a health food store.

To enrich their gravy, sisters Betty Carlucci of Chesapeake and Marcia Martin of Virginia Beach will add chopped hard-cooked eggs, just like their mother did.

And, as she does every year, Sallie Stancel of Norfolk will whisk a simple paste of flour and water into the juices surrendered by the turkey she roasts for her large extended family. Relatives have tried for years to duplicate the delicious results, without much success.

There are no secrets, there is no magic, claims Stancel. Her glistening, golden gravy just sort of happens.

So it goes with gravy. It happens or it doesn't. Two cooks can work from the same recipe, with one ending up with greasy glop, the other creating glorious gravy. As with pie crust, the ingredients are simple and few. And as with pie crust, gravy is mostly a matter of nuance and touch.

``If you're scared to make it, you tend to freeze up or hold back and the gravy doesn't turn out as well as it should,'' says Susan Batten, an associate instructor at Johnson & Wales University in Norfolk.

Good gravy, said Batten, should have a smooth velvety texture, a nice flow, good color and flavor.

Here's one of the many ways to get lovely, not lumpy, gravy. This method uses turkey stock and roux, a mixture of fat and flour, cooked together.

A hearty stock is the secret to good flavor, gravy makers agree. When ingredients for the stock are first browned in the oven, they will add flavor and a rich caramel color to the finished stock.

Roast the turkey giblets (neck, heart and gizzard), along with a cut-up onion, carrot and celery stalk, in the oven until turkey pieces are golden brown. (Often Batten will buy extra turkey wings or chicken backs and necks, which she browns along with the turkey giblets and vegetables. Added to the stock pot, these wings, backs and necks impart even more flavor.)

Transfer the browned turkey parts and vegetables to a stockpot. Add two quarts of water, along with two sprigs of parsley, one bay leaf, 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme and salt and pepper to taste. Simmer, partially covered, for about one hour. Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

When the turkey is finished roasting, remove it from the roasting pan. Degrease pan drippings. This can be done simply by spooning off grease, or by using a fat separator cup, or, if there is time, by placing the drippings in a bowl in the freezer so that fat congeals at the top and can be easily removed and discarded. Return degreased drippings to roasting pan. Pour in a small amount of stock from stockpot and, over low heat, stir to loosen browned bits from bottom and sides of roasting pan. These bits are loaded with flavor. Return stock and degreased pan drippings to stockpot.

In a large saucepan, melt four tablespoons butter or margarine. Add 1/4 cup sifted flour to butter, stirring to mix, over low heat. Cook roux, stirring often, for five to 10 minutes or until lightly browned. (A browned roux lends flavor and golden brown color to the gravy.)

All at once add four cups of warm turkey stock to hot roux in saucepan, whisking to mix well. Bring mixture to a boil, whisking constantly. Reduce to simmer and cook, uncovered and stirring often, for about 20 minutes. Season to taste.

Your glorious gravy is ready to serve. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

WAYNE DEEL/Landmark News Service

There's no secret...

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