How To Make Gravy For Rice

Every skilful Cajun loves a expert rice and gravy. Cajun men, in particular, seem to possess a strong envie (craving) for this dish...especially if it is fabricated by their Maw-Maws or Mamas.

If yous aren't familiar, rice and gravy as well involves meat. No, I don't know why this isn't mentioned in the recipe title. Inexpensive cuts of beefiness are unremarkably used. Chicken and pork tin besides be used. My preference is for circular steak. I've also used stew meat. My mother in law prefers seven steaks (or seven os steak). Onions are e'er nowadays. Bell peppers normally surface. Depending on the melt, garlic and/or celery may be added.

Before we get started there are some things you should know.

* This is not a fast meal. All this goodness takes time, patience, and love (which is partly why information technology is so good).

* If you try to adapt this to a crock pot I will be very deplorable. No...I'll be hot (and not the proficient kind). I will be aroused and wing into a rage. For the dearest of Pete, don't practice it. It just isn't the same. Delight trust me on this.

* As you lot brown the beef, it will become extremely tough. Y'all volition confront a moment of dubiety. You lot will curse me and start wondering if everything yous read on the internet really isn't truthful subsequently all. Wait, I wouldn't steer you wrong, infant (at to the lowest degree not intentionally). Office of the magic of a skillful rice and gravy is the irksome simmering. This will make the meat nice and tender...falling apart.

* Exercise non utilize a non-stick pot. I repeat...NO not-stick cookware. Again, please just trust me. You'll want the meat to stick. This is what helps the gravy get dark and lovely.

* The more than onions y'all use, the thicker the gravy will be.

* The more y'all brownish the meat, the darker your gravy will be.

And so...ready to move on to the recipe? Ok. Gather upward what you need. I'll await.
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Rice and Gravy
from Ms. enPlace

Oil or Crisco
1 pound round steak

Salt, pepper, Cajun or Creole seasoning
1 very large onion
Water
i bong pepper
ii ribs celery, if you lot want
three-iv cloves garlic, or equally much or as little as you lot want
cooked rice

If you lot take a cast iron pot, by all means use it. Exercise not use a non-stick pot. Y'all'll be lamentable. Chop all vegetables. Cutting steak into pieces and flavour with salt, pepper, and Cajun seasoning. While you are doing this, heat vegetable oil or Crisco (almost med-high heat) in the lesser of your non-stick pot (enough to thinly coat the bottom).

When oil is hot, add meat. Brown the meat, allowing crust (addicted) to form in spots on the bottom of the pot (this is key for a rich, dark gravy). At first, all you will see is your steak boiling in juices. That's fine. Yous'll accept to melt off the juices earlier you get a nice chaff on your pan. Information technology will take some time. Really, you are doing fine. Stir while browning the meat. You want chocolate-brown, but non burnt. Once you've got some chaff forming, add a fiddling water (plenty to cover the bottom of the pot), scrape the crust with the flat edge of a spatula, and cook down over again, evaporating the water. Dark-brown to get crusty spots to class on your pot again, add water, scrape the pot, cook the water away again. Same bargain as earlier. Repeat this process a few times. It volition assistance make your gravy darker in the end. I like to repeat this procedure about iv times. No, I'k not crazy. I just like a good, dark gravy. You should too.

One time the meat is really brownish and yous are satisfied with the color of the water (more h2o will be added to your final production, so it should be actually dark), evaporate the water abroad one more fourth dimension, add together chopped onion, bong pepper, and celery if you are using it and cook until they brown upwardly a bit. Toss in some chopped garlic and cook a few minutes.

Add together enough water to cover the meat and simmer until the meat is tender. This takes a while for certain cuts of meat (sometimes I use stew beef). When I say "a while," I mean at least an hour. The longer the amend.

When yous are satisfied with the tenderness of the meat, reduce the water to make a thicker gravy. Taste for seasoning and serve over rice. Mais, talk virtually practiced!

Using round steak today. I've got my oil nice and hot and added the meat...and I'yard not using not-stick cookware. Cast fe or stainless steel works really well for this.

Notice all the liquid in the bottom of the pot.

Totally normal. This will have to cook off before you tin become nice crusty spots to form.

The meat has started to dark-brown up nicely,

but we still accept a ways to go til good gravy.

Now the meat is starting to stick a little, leaving behind lots of beautiful, yummy crusty goodness. This is what will brand your gravy nice and dark and provide a deep flavor. Oh, my! No, it'southward non burnt! It'southward pretty!

I've added some water and started scraping the crust of the bottom. Crust is such an ugly word. The French phone call it "fond." A Cajun might telephone call it "gremille," which means little bits, scraps, or crumbs left in the bottom of the pan. It's all good. I'll let this water cook off and permit more than crusty goodness to form. Add together more than water. Scrape. Melt h2o off. Exercise this near four (four) times.

Yeah, actually.

Skipping alee hither, so pay attending! I've gone through the crust-forming steps four times. And then, I've added my chopped onion, bell pepper, etc. and immune that to dark-brown a little too. Add together water to cover everything and simmer for at to the lowest degree an hour, or until meat is tender.

So, here it is. All I take to do is cook the rice, let this simmer, and wait for dinner. Ya'll come on over!