Gravy

From Freepedia

Gravy is a thickened sauce, usually made from a base of the juices and extractives that run from meat during cooking.

There are two basic types of meat gravy: thickened and unthickened. The unthickened gravy, in the case of red meats, is often referred to as "au jus". This is simply a cooked mixture of meat juices.

Thickened gravies are usually made starting with a roux (a mixture of fat and flour, corn starch, or arrowroot). The liquids from the cooked meat are added gradually, while continually stirring the mixture, to ensure that it mixes properly and the thickener doesn't clump. Alternatively, the thickening agent can be added to the meat juices which are then cooked, causing the gravy to thicken.

Some gravies contain milk or cream as well as meat or vegetable juices. Sometimes finely-cut pieces of meat are added back into the gravy. Though not all so called "cream" gravies use milk, most just add white refined flour to drippings.

A popular American dish is mashed potatoes and gravy. Gravy is also commonly eaten with meat, American style biscuits, Yorkshire pudding, and stuffing. One Southern American variation is chocolate gravy eaten with American biscuits. In the UK chips and gravy is seen as a popular northern dish.

Today, completely vegetable-based gravies, suitable for vegetarians and vegans, are also made.

Some Italian Americans use the term "gravy" to refer to pasta sauce (usually tomato sauce). In many cases they do not use the word "sauce" at all when talking about what is typically referred to as "pasta sauce", using the term "gravy" exclusively.

Also regional slang for "okay" or "all good", or for something that is an added bonus to something such as in "beyond that, it's all gravy."