If you think of your favorite comfort foods, you'll probably notice that they have something in common. They usually have ingredients that are gathered from what supplies the cook has on hand. Tomato Gravy is an example of this. Foraging through the garden and cupboards when times are tough yields interesting, and simple, ingredients that create wonderful pots of simmering comfort.
Some food simply make us feel good inside. We may not have lived through any sort of hard times like our ancestors did, but if you gathered around your grandparent's table, you know how these folks put together a meal out of what they had and turned it into a comforting meal. Those meals became our meals.
A good Tomato Gravy takes on as many forms as there are cooks. Depending on the season, we might use fresh or canned tomatoes, green peppers, onions, or anything else we can forage. Diced, fresh tomatoes are my preferred choice, but in the middle of the winter, diced canned tomatoes will do just fine. Once we get the oil and flour cooking, the rest is decided with what we have on hand.
One thing most cooks agree with is that you have to start with a nice thickened oil and flour mixture. Making this thickener, or roux, takes a little bit of practice, but you'll be glad you learned how to make it right. The trick is to keep stirring until the roux thickens, turns a little golden color and the flour taste cooks out. Some cooks like to use a mixture of oil and butter for extra flavor, but never use butter alone as it will easily burn.
You can serve tomato gravy as a main dish or a side dish. Spooned over some homemade biscuits with a little salad on the side, you have a great lunch. Grill some fish and serve some oven fried potato wedges with tomato gravy drizzled on top and you have a filling dinner. Tomato gravy can be spooned over hot vegetables or mixed into pasta or rice for a delicious, and satisfying meal anytime.
Even if you don't happen to have an old family recipe for tomato gravy, there are plenty of resources to find one. Any good cookbook will have at least one recipe and the internet recipe sites will have plenty to choose from. You'll probably be overwhelmed at first because there are so many variations. Stick to the most simple recipes at first. You can always expand later, but even the simplest recipe of a roux, tomatoes with salt and pepper will taste great when you're hungry!
One heads up about making tomato gravy. You may see pictures of cooks making this dish in a cast iron skillet. I can't recommend that you do that because tomatoes are very acidic and will quickly strip the lovely coating from your favorite cast iron skillet. Save your cast iron pans for pot roasts and fried chicken.
Harvesting and gathering simple foods that were readily available to us is how we created comfort foods. Taking only a couple tomatoes and blending them with a roux creates one of the most simple comfort foods we know - tomato gravy. The next time you want a little comfort, whip up a warm and wonderful Tomato Gravy and treat your family to a real labor of love.
Some food simply make us feel good inside. We may not have lived through any sort of hard times like our ancestors did, but if you gathered around your grandparent's table, you know how these folks put together a meal out of what they had and turned it into a comforting meal. Those meals became our meals.
A good Tomato Gravy takes on as many forms as there are cooks. Depending on the season, we might use fresh or canned tomatoes, green peppers, onions, or anything else we can forage. Diced, fresh tomatoes are my preferred choice, but in the middle of the winter, diced canned tomatoes will do just fine. Once we get the oil and flour cooking, the rest is decided with what we have on hand.
One thing most cooks agree with is that you have to start with a nice thickened oil and flour mixture. Making this thickener, or roux, takes a little bit of practice, but you'll be glad you learned how to make it right. The trick is to keep stirring until the roux thickens, turns a little golden color and the flour taste cooks out. Some cooks like to use a mixture of oil and butter for extra flavor, but never use butter alone as it will easily burn.
You can serve tomato gravy as a main dish or a side dish. Spooned over some homemade biscuits with a little salad on the side, you have a great lunch. Grill some fish and serve some oven fried potato wedges with tomato gravy drizzled on top and you have a filling dinner. Tomato gravy can be spooned over hot vegetables or mixed into pasta or rice for a delicious, and satisfying meal anytime.
Even if you don't happen to have an old family recipe for tomato gravy, there are plenty of resources to find one. Any good cookbook will have at least one recipe and the internet recipe sites will have plenty to choose from. You'll probably be overwhelmed at first because there are so many variations. Stick to the most simple recipes at first. You can always expand later, but even the simplest recipe of a roux, tomatoes with salt and pepper will taste great when you're hungry!
One heads up about making tomato gravy. You may see pictures of cooks making this dish in a cast iron skillet. I can't recommend that you do that because tomatoes are very acidic and will quickly strip the lovely coating from your favorite cast iron skillet. Save your cast iron pans for pot roasts and fried chicken.
Harvesting and gathering simple foods that were readily available to us is how we created comfort foods. Taking only a couple tomatoes and blending them with a roux creates one of the most simple comfort foods we know - tomato gravy. The next time you want a little comfort, whip up a warm and wonderful Tomato Gravy and treat your family to a real labor of love.
About the Author:
Making delicious tomato gravy is an easy task that will warm your family's home and your family's heart! There's nothing better than a little old fashioned homemade dinner to give your family something wonderful to come home to. Enjoy!
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