[November 18, 2009] ON THE LIGHTER SIDE: Tasty Thanksgiving side dishes needn't be laden with fat and excess calories Tweet Nov 18, 2009 (Albuquerque Journal - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Editor's note: The Journal series continues with tips for great gravy. See previous articles at ABQjournal. com. Look for As seen in the Newspaper. Catch videos of chefs' techniques for making gravy, mashing potatoes, dicing veggies and more. Anybody can make gravy, but can you make it taste good, too? It's easy to say, "It's just gravy," as in, "Oh, that's great, but it's just gravy on top of everything else." The truth is, making "just gravy" taste good can be hard to do. But it can be done. Making basic gravy from scratch means making the roux -- a mixture of melted fat and flour -- and mixing it with a liquid, usually chicken or beef stock. The fat used in the roux can be almost anything, including duck fat, butter or lard, but the most popular at Thanksgiving is leftover fat from the roasted turkey, says Dennis Apodaca, chef and owner of Ezra's Place and Sophia's Place in Albuquerque. If he uses the turkey fat, Apodaca says, he prefers to run it through a strainer first to catch bits of turkey meat that may have come loose. His recipes call for about three parts flour for every two parts fat. He says cooking the fat and flour isn't necessarily difficult, but a lot of amateur chefs make the mistake of not cooking the mixture enough. On low heat, Apodaca says, you should melt the fat and add flour, cooking until you've gotten rid of the flour taste -- usually about 15 or 20 minutes. If you don't have enough turkey fat to fit the amount of people you're serving, you can add butter, chef and author Jane Butel says. Butel also advocates using about equal amounts of fat and flour. You should be tasting the roux while you're making it, Apodaca says, to make sure the flour's grittiness is mostly gone, and seasoning with salt and pepper to suit your preferences. "You don't want to season it at the very end," he says. Get the temperature right Once you're confident the roux has lost its flour grittiness and it's seasoned the way you like it, Apodaca says, it's time to add the liquid (milk, water or stock). But be sure you have first heated it to the same temperature as the roux, he says. "It just makes it easier, and it'll just incorporate easier" if the liquid is the same temperature, Apodaca says, adding that mixing in cool liquid is liable to make lumpy gravy. Some recipes even require bringing the liquid to a boil. If you do see lumps, he says, you can run the gravy through a blender to make it smoother. This is the most important time to stir the gravy, Apodaca says. Whisk it until it comes together in the pan. It's also important to leave the burner on low. "You never want to boil it," Apodaca says. "That'll cause it to separate, and it'll look like cottage cheese." Let it simmer Butel says you can vary the thickness of your gravy by using more or less roux, and that it's important to let the gravy simmer for some time after you mix the roux and liquid, being sure to keep testing it for seasoning. "I think gravy is a matter of taste," she says, adding that it's good to season gravy using thyme, sage or even red chile powder if you choose. Apodaca says he lets his gravy simmer for about 15 minutes, and he sometimes adds about 3 tablespoons of flavored butter to it just before it's done. His favorite is chipotle butter. "I like that smoky flavor with chipotle," he says. DENNIS APODACA'S MUSHROOM GRAVY Makes 6 servings; 1/3 cup is a serving 4 cremini mushrooms 2 tablespoons turkey drippings 3 tablespoons flour 2 cups chicken stock Salt Chop mushrooms, then cook them in fat with a pinch of salt on low heat for 5 minutes. Add flour, cook on low heat until flour taste is gone (about 15 or 20 minutes) to create the roux. Bring chicken stock to same temperature, then combine with roux. Stir well, let sit on low heat for 15 minutes, seasoning to taste. PER SERVING: 60 calories, 3 g fat (1.5 g saturated fat); 5 mg cholesterol; 340 mg sodium; 5 g carbs; 3 g protein JANE BUTEL'S RED CHILE GRAVY Makes 3 servings; 1/3 cup is a serving 1-2 tablespoons turkey drippings 1-2 tablespoons flour 1 cup chicken broth Red chile powder to taste Cook turkey drippings (with added butter if necessary) on low heat until fat melts. Add flour, cook on low heat to create the roux. For thinner gravy, use one tablespoon of each; use more for a thicker variety. Gradually stir in broth, seasoning with red chile to taste. PER SERVING: 60 calories, 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat); 10 mg cholesterol; 260 mg sodium; 4 g carbs; 2 g protein THE RANGE CAFE'S GREEN CHILE GRAVY Makes 12 servings; --1/3 cup is a serving 1/4 cup butter 1/4 cup flour 1 quart chicken stock 1 pint chopped green chile 1 tablespoon soy sauce Melt butter, whisk with flour to create roux. In another pan, bring chicken stock to a boil, add green chile and soy sauce, then let it return to a boil. Add roux into stock mixture to desired thickness. PER SERVING: 60 calories, 4 g fat (2.5 g saturated fat); 10 mg cholesterol; 300 mg sodium; 5 g carbs; 2 g protein To see more of the Albuquerque Journal, or to subscribe to the newspaper, go to http://www.abqjournal.com. Copyright (c) 2009, Albuquerque Journal, N.M. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services. 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