Gravy: When Old Traditions Meet New

Here I go being nostalgic again…

My prized possession: Grandma's gravy boat

When I was a kid, we celebrated Christmas at my dad’s mom’s house by having Christmas dinner at lunchtime. My grandma was British, and this was one of her family traditions. I have fond memories of these Christmases. I have hoards of cousins on my dad’s side and the Christmas table was long with bodies seated around it. We all wore paper hats from our Christmas crackers and  I have a distinct olfactory memory of the hams she made. It’s the only meat I ever have the desire to eat again, but only if it smells like Grandma’s did, and then I end up not doing it anyway. Sometimes just smelling things makes up for not eating them.

Another memory I have, an odd one, is of the gravy boat she used. A number of years ago I found out my dad had kept that gravy boat. When I told him about all the memories of those family dinners, the caroling at the piano, the Christmas tree made of fir braches tied together, the tobagganing on the hill outside her house with my cousins in snow suits fashioned out of garbage bags, he surprised me one year by gifting the gravy boat to me. Now it is one of my most prized possessions, and I am eager every Christmas to fill it with my own tradition of vegetarian gravy.

I’m hoping for a completely vegetarian Christmas dinner this year. My husband isn’t vegetarian, and neither are my parents, but since this year will be a quiet one – just our little family unit and my mom – I’m pushing for no turkey. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have gravy on our mashed potatoes. I have been making the following gravy recipe for about a decade. In fact, it’s so good, many of the meat-eating folk in my family prefer it over the real thing. And I always make it look the most appealing by serving it in the special gravy boat. (The turkey gravy gets served in a creamer, or stays in the pan!) So if you’re veggie and wish you could have some gravy on your potatoes, this is for you.

Herbed Gravy

1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour

1 cup soy/rice milk

1 Tbsp soy sauce/tamari

1 cup water

1/4 tp salt

2 Tbsp sunflower oil

1 tsp dried sage

1/4 tsp thyme

1/4 tsp marjoram

pinch black pepper

Directions: In a saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add flour, and stir often for two minutes. Remve from heat and cool for several minutes. (This is an important step!)

In a separate bowl, combine remaining ingredients. Whisk together with the flour/oil, half at a time to avoid lumping. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. If gravy seems too thick, just add a little more water, 1 Tbsp at a time. Adjust salt and pepper to taste. Gravy will thicken as it cools. This will store well in the fridge for several days. To serve at a later time, reheat slowly over medium heat, making sure to stir well. Add 1 Tbsp of water, or more, if necessary.

Yiels: 1  1/2 – 2 cups

Do you have any family heirloom dishes you pull out at Christmas time? Or recipes you make only at Christmas? What are they?

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1. Tropical Traditions Virgin Coconut Oil Review and Giveaway
2. Emerging Family Traditions