Foolproof Turkey Pan Drippings Gravy

Foolproof Turkey Pan Drippings Gravy
Makes about 6 to 7 cups

Let’s talk turkey.

 

You’ll Need:

Turkey neck and giblets from whole turkey
See Woody’s Way
6 c. chicken broth or chicken flavored soup base.
See Woody’s Way
2 large onions, peeled, quartered
1 c. sliced carrots
1 c. celery leaves
1 c. dry white wine or water
6Tlbs. all-purpose flour
6 Tbs. butter, at room temperature
Turkey pan drippings
Salt and pepper to taste
Here’s What To Do:

Up to 3 days ahead cut turkey neck and heart in half and place in saucepan with gizzard, chicken broth, onions, carrots, wine and celery leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer gently, uncovered, 1 1/2 hours. Add liver and simmer 30 minutes longer or until gizzard is very tender.
Remove giblets to a cutting board and strain broth into a large sauce pan or bowl, pressing vegetables to extract as much broth as possible. Discard vegetables. Add water to broth if needed to make 6 cups.
Chop giblets and neck meat. Refrigerate in covered container.
Mash butter and flour with your fingers until blended to a paste. Divide into four portions.
Bring broth to a boil, reduce heat to low and gradually whisk in flour mixture, one portion at a time, until blended, whisk until thickened and boiling. Boil 3 minutes longer to cook out any “floury” taste.
Cover surface of gravy with waxed paper or plastic wrap to keep a skin from forming. Refrigerate.
After you remove the turkey and wrap it in foil to rest for at least 30 minutes. Pour remaining liquid into large glass measuring cup or pitcher. Allow it to settle, fat will separate to the top, then pour or spoon off fat and discard. Take up to two cups of water or stock and stir into pan juices, scraping up brown bits on bottom of pan. You may even want to heat the roasting pan on your cook top to help deglaze the bits further. Stir in giblets and neck meat and heat over medium-low heat until hot and cook for five minutes to meld. Strain to remove all meat and vegetable pieces.
Tasting as you go, now add back the pan dripping mixture into the gravy a half cup at a time until you are happy with the flavor, the gravy will darken due to the color of the drippings. Add pepper first and then salt to taste, if you thin too far added another tablespoon of butter and flour.
Woody’s Way:

To add even more flavor to the stock, melt a couple of table spoons of butter in a medium sauté pan and brown the turkey parts over medium-high heat for several minutes before adding to the stock, don’t burn the butter. Deglaze the pan with a little white wine or stock to get all flavor bits. If you are cooking a whole or partial turkey breast you won’t have the organ parts (they only come with whole birds) so look for packages of turkey necks or use chicken livers and thighs in place of them to add flavor.

If you are making a bread stuffing (recipe included with membership) make a total of 20-24 cups of stock. Increase the vegetables used to three onions, two cups of carrots, 2 cups of celery leaves and two cups of wine.

I use a commercial soup base (powered) when I make a volume of chicken or beef stock, be careful when you select a brand that it doesn’t have too much salt and be careful to taste before adding any additional salt. Some markets do carry ready made stocks in quarts.
Please see “let’s talk turkey’ at woody’s whine