GORGEOUS GRAVY: make/freeze ahead, healthier, dairy-free option,

Christmas dinner is not dinner without excellent gravy

posted 2019; updated 2024

Vegetarian Red Wine Gravy, here with Festive Vegetarian Pate & Mushroom Dome.

Gravy is essential at Christmas dinner and 67 has a choice of 4 tried and tested recipes.  Two are vegetarian; all except one are rich, creamy without dairy and muscular in flavour.  Best of all, they can be made right now - or any time up Christmas - frozen and reheated for the Big Day.  

(All recipes below the line)

1.  67's Classic Vegetarian Gravy

Popular super-healthy vegan gravy which looks and tastes so much like meat gravy, carnivores like it.  It goes double duty, which means cook can make two different gravies from one base.  

  

2. Jaimie Oliver's Super Gravy

No apologies for including Jamie's gloriously, unashamedly carnivore version.  The gravy is out-of-the world delicious, rich with hidden vegetables which add an ultra-healthy layer of goodness.  Easy peasy.

3.  Vegan Red Wine Gravy: 

Unusually rich and luxurious for a vegan dish; easy.  The blog's tasters - two mature middle-aged men - definitely not teetotallers - loved it. 

4.  Turkey Juices - the healthiest version of meat gravy

1. Pour off fat from the pan in which the turkey was cooked
2. Pour the rest through a strainer into a pot
3. Keep warm until ready to serve

RECIPES

Dairy Free Cream of Celeriac & Apple Potage: triple duty

What a Christmas dinner starter!  Silky, delicate, heavenly delicious soup...

Christmas Dinner first course sensation:
Silky Potage of Celeriac & Tart Apple with soya cream & chives
'intriguing - in the best way - and utterly ambrosial' 

67 is a great believer in soups before main courses at all times, not just at Christmas; they can help reduce demand for expensive protein and make budgets  go further.  

But a Christmas dinner soup needs something special -- something that settles and comforts hunger pangs without interfering with the wonderful flavours to come.  Christmas Dinner soups should be sublime and rather magnificent, even intriguing, and heighten not soften anticipation for the rest of the meal.   

Delicacy is the key, in flavour and texture.  Clear soups like Egg drop Pea Soup is one way to go.  The broth has wonderful depth from hours of simmering; bright green peas and golden strands of egg stand out like jewels. 

67's Christmas Cream of Celeriac & Apple (dairy-free) goes another way with a thick, silky potage.  The flavours are delicate - gently biffing the taste buds -  but captivating and satisfying.

The soup is vegan (vegetarian options are given) but garnishes are triple duty.  

Who would have thought that such an ugly vegetable could produce such a sumptuous soup? (See notes on celeriac below)

It's a simple recipe, easy to cook and can be made a day ahead.  

Reheat very gently, without boiling, ideally in a heatproof bowl over hot water.  

It's the perfect start to the Big Feast!


Cost: £3.00'ish
Feeds:  a large dinner party

Ingreds:
   50gm/1.7oz plant or dairy butter
   2 tbsp good olive oil

   1 med onion, peeled & in med dice

   500gm/17.6oz peeled celeriac, in 1inch/2cm dice
   1 tbsp finely grated ginger
  
   750mg good vegetable stock (home-made preferred but high quality granules will do)

  1-2 sharp green applies like Granny Smith

   67 garnish:
       soya or dairy cream (or runny yoghurt) with finely chopped chives

 Other Garnishes: 

• toasted coarsely chopped hazelnuts or pistachios
• truffle oil
• lardons of crisply fried back bacon (fat removed)                 
• parma or serrano ham baked for 2-3 mins until crispy 

Method:

1. Melt butter & olive oil in a large pan over med high heat
2. Add onion, cook 3 mins, until translucent; don't allow to brown
3. Add celeriac and ginger, cook 5 mins; turn heat down to low; cook partially covered 15 mins, stirring occasionally to prevent browning - all the pieces should be soft and nearly cooked
4. Add stock, bring to the boil, reduce heat to med low
5. Simmer 1 hour, partially covered
6. Half an hour before the end of cooking, add 1- 1.5 Granny Smith peeled and in fine dice; continue to cook until end of of hour
7. Blitz to a fine puree
8. Taste; add plenty of salt and pepper 
9. Thin with extra stock if liked but the flavour may be affected
10. Garnish (as above)              

   
Celeriac
Not cheap but not outrageously expensive either, a 20oz/3/4 kilo celeriac will cost under £2.  It keeps well in the bottom of the fridge for a few weeks.  it is delicious in salads & soups and can be used like potatoes in stews, mash or as chips.  

Use a sharp knife to remove the peel; a peeler won't do the job. Take a big slice off the bottom so that the celeriac is stable. Run the knife in thin slices between the peel and the celeriac, as if you were preparing a pineapple.  

Comments:
'Intriguing and utterly ambrosial; I would love this at Christmas but would demand a second serving!' Retired writer

   More soups on NavBar: Recipes II 

Please leave a comment in the box below

This recipe has been developed by B M Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises.  It may not be reproduced without the author's written permission. 

(NEW) CRANBERRY & NUT WHOLEMEAL LOAF, easy, yeast-free, vegetarian; small households

Easy, quick and more-ish festive bread: cheese board crowdpleaser or healthier breakfast bread 

first posted 2019; updated 5/23

Cranberry Nut Oatmeal Molasses Bread
with Blue Lancashire & Butter 

This gorgeous fruity Cranberry & Nut Loaf bread tastes just wonderful and has so much going for it, it's perfect for the Christmas season or any time cheese needs a good bread.  

It will play many roles: centrepiece on a cheeseboard, a healthier alternative - or addition - to the usual Cinnamon buns on Christmas morning, or pick-me-up toast the morning after indulgent evenings.  

The bread, based on Irish soda breads, is yeast-free.  It's so rich it doesn't need buttering (though many people can't resist).  It's dotted with fresh fruit and nuts, is high in fibre, and best of all is ready for the oven in 10 minutes. 

It's healthy, too.  The wholemeal content is high, making the crust gorgeously chewy but the interior soft and yielding.  Nutrient rich molasses (low on the glycemic index) and cholesterol-battling oatmeal add sweet smokiness.  Fresh cranberries give a pop of delicious tartness and heart-friendly nuts add crunch. 

Weighty but not heavy, the bread will appeal to adults.  For kids, reducing the amount of wholemeal flour might be advisable.  

The bread will keep well in an air-tight tin for a couple of days - if it lasts that long.  It  freezes well. 

Dried berries can replace fresh but blanch in boiling water, drain & dry before adding to the flour.

Cost:  £4.00'ish, depending on what's in the cupboard/fridge
Makes: one large loaf; recipe halves nicely

Ingred:
    14oz/390 gm plain common wheat or spelt flour, 50-50 white + wholemeal OR 9.5oz/275 gm white + and 4oz/115gm wholemeal 
    3oz/90g oatmeal, blitzed in a blender till fine 
    1 tsp baking soda
    1 tsp salt

     4oz/113gm cold butter, in small cubes

     3/4 cup fresh washed & drained, or dried, blanched with boiling water and drained, cranberries, 

     scant half cup coarsely chopped nuts
     zest of an orange

    340ml buttermilk* stirred
    1/4 cup/60ml molasses
    1 extra large egg or 2 small eggs, beaten

Equipment: 

• 900gm/2 pound metal bread tin, lined with a strip of greaseproof paper down the bottom and extending above either side (makes it easier to get the bread out); grease sides of tin OR
• baking tray

  
Method:

1. Preheat oven to 375f/190c/170fan/gas5
2. Mix dry ingred in a large bowl; add butter and rub together (or process) until butter resembles peas
3. Mix in orange zest, distributing evenly, then gently mix through cranberries and nuts until berries are completely coated in flour
4. Whisk buttermilk, molasses & egg/s; beware molasses sitting on the bottom
5. Make a well in the dry ingred; add liquid, stir well until it is absorbed (this may take a few mins); the mix will be thick and unwieldy
6. Either scrape mix into bread tin, levelling out the top OR form into a round with floured hands and place on baking tray
7. Bake 45 mins, turning the tray once for even browning; a cocktail stick inserted in the middle should come out clean; if not leave a further 10 mins.  
8. Tap the underside; it it doesn't sound hollow, turn loaf upside down, return to oven for 10 mins

Freezing for small households: pre-slicing and placing a small square of greaseproof paper between each makes it easier to remove slices as needed 

Comments:
'Really, really great bread - I would have this at any time of day but have to restrict myself for dietary reasons!' Retired writer
'I really like the taste and the tartness of the berries and the oatmeal is a selling point.  The texture was good- maybe slightly dry in the crust - but stayed fresh the day after.  I prefer it at teatime, buttered, in small slices.' Senior council co-ordinator.  

Health Notes:

Oatmeal is considered a whole grain powerhouse and helps reduce bad cholesterol.  Doctors recommend eating it daily; if you're looking for a break from porridge or granola (see sugar-free Perfect Porridge/Ultra Granola), this loaf is a great substitute. 

Nutrient-rich molasses is high in iron, calcium and potassium. Though it is a sugar, it's low on the glycemic index, causes fewer spikes in blood sugar and can be a healthier option for diabetics. 

Tips:

• replace buttermilk with 3/4 0-fat (not thick) yoghurt plus 1/4 water Or, in a pinch, add 2 tablespoons lemon juice or vinegar to milk and leave 15 mins (fortified unsweetened, additive free plant milks work well here)
• extra large egg can be replaced with 2 small eggs but reduce liquid by 2 tablespoons
• thick slices of the bread work better in a toaster; otherwise the grill or a air fryer does a great job 
• this goes well with strong cheeses - double Gloucester with chives and onion, Gorgonzola, Cambozola, blue cheeses  

More free-of-common wheat on Nav Bar: Recipes II  (bottom page)

                        

Please leave a Comments in the box below 

This recipe has been developed by B  Lee/ Bright Sun Enterprises and may not be reproduced, in any form, without the author's written permission. 

HOW TO...BEST EVER ROASTIES

BEST EVER ROAST POTATOES

67goingon50 is not going to apologise for this post.  The secret of roast potatoes is this:

https://www.thekitchn.com/jamie-oliver-has-a-smart-tip-for-roast-potatoes-252744


I have been using Jaimie's techniques for years and they are foolproof.

There is a choice of fat depending on your mood, your health and your dining companions.

67 tends to stick to olive oil because it's lower in cholesterol but sometimes will slip in a bit of butter for flavour.

Trust me, you won't regret following Jaimie's advice.

PS
Jaimie's newest hack is to squash the potatoes just before they've reached maximum golden-brown beauteousness in order to increase the roasting area and intensify crispness.  67 doesn't bother but if you've the time and man/kid power, give it a go.

Also:
Instead of garnishing with garlic and rosemary, try a sprinkle of 67's Savoury Spice Mix; it adds a lovely layer of flavour.