And now for something, completely different..
A simple recipe I have fond memories of learning as a child, and still make sometimes to this day. And I do mean simple – about as simple as it gets.
Feel free to try it, or not. You can also experiment with ways to make it better for you, but generally I find that simple is best.
Required Ingredients:
- Deli Ham (cheaper and higher in fat is better)
- Milk (I grew up using 2%, but I don’t think it matters much)
- Flour
- Bread
- Salt
- Pepper (optional)
Equipment Needed:
- Large (and deep) cooking pan (this has to hold all of your gravy – so the bigger batch you want to make, the bigger pan you need)
- Self Heating is recommended if it is an option
- Otherwise you need one that fits on a stove burner – and a stove
- Stirring Utensil
- I would recommend a good flat-bottom wire whisk
- Almost anything *can* work if you need it to – even just a spoon or a knife
- Scissors or knife to cut the ham
- Toaster, or other device to toast your bread
- Ladle or large spoon to serve the gravy
Instructions:
- First, cut up your ham into small chunks directly into the pan
- Heat the pan until the ham starts to sizzle just a bit
- Stir the ham so it doesn’t burn – you want to melt some of the fat out of it into the pan to cook in.
- DO NOT keep the heat so high the fat completely boils away – you want it in the pan – turn down the heat if needed!
- Once you’ve gotten all the juices out of the Ham you think you are going to – and/or think your ham is fried enough – sprinkle flour *lightly* across the entire bottom of your pan
- Add enough milk to fully submerge all of the ham/flour, and begin stirring
- Adjust the temperature to bring this mixture to a light simmer (NOT a boil!) – you should have a fairly steady stream of small, light bubbles that pretty much stop every time you stir cooler liquid to the bottom of the pan
- Add additional milk slowly, stopping to stir it in to equalize the temperature, until you are close to the volume of gravy you want, or just slightly over it.
- Continue stirring at a light simmer for a few minutes – taking note of the thickness of the gravy
- If it is too thin – SLOWLY add more flour and stir for another minute or so before you decide if it needs more or not – continue until you reach the desired thickness
- If it is too thick – SLOWLY add more milk and stir for another minute or so before you decide if it needs more or not – continue until you reach the desired thickness
- There is no “Right” or “Wrong” thickness here – it is all edible, and it will all taste good – what do you prefer on your bread? How far do you want to stretch this gravy? Thicker gravy will get used up quicker and be more filling, thinner gravy will go on more pieces of bread and many people (but not all) prefer a thinner texture. If you don’t like the thickness this time – change it up next time.
- Once you are satisfied with the thickness – turn the heat off or down to a very low setting to maintain warmth
- Now is the time to stir in your salt/pepper to your personal tastes.
- I recommend erring on the side of less salt/pepper at this stage – you can always add more after it is on the toast as well! But you’ll get more consistent flavor from the stuff you mix in.
- While you let the gravy cool to a temperature safe for human consumption – start making your toast!
- Done! Ready to serve!
Personally I like my gravy on the thicker side. If it is thick enough – you can put it on the toast and just pick it up to eat it. Otherwise you’ll want to include a fork and knife with each plate so people can cut up the toast into bit sized pieces.
Also don’t try to fit it all on your plate at once. You’ll need multiple servings. You may also want to keep toasting as you eat in preparation for future servings.
If you have leftovers – let the gravy cool to room temperature then put it in a sealed container in the refrigerator. It heats up fine for future serving. Try not to toast too much bread that doesn’t keep and re-heat as well.
Enjoy!