- 2 tablespoons margarine or olive oil
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper (scant)
- 15-ounce can tomatoes
- 1/2 cup milk or evaporated milk
Get out a nice big skillet. Heat the
margarine or oil over medium heat. Stir in
the flour with a fork or a whisk until it is
lump free. Let the fat simmer for a moment
or two, to toast the flour just a little
bit. Add the sugar or honey, salt and little
less than 1/4-teaspoon of pepper. Add the
tomatoes. Smash the tomatoes with your fork
to make them sort of choppy or shredded.
This gravy is not smooth, so you don't have
to work real hard at smashing the tomatoes.
The lumpy tomatoes are actually what give it
the characteristic texture which Tomato
Gravy is famous for. When it begins to boil
and thicken, add the milk gradually. Stir it
all up and let it boil again. The milk will
sometimes curdle a little bit. I don't know
how to stop it, so I just serve it anyway.
It tastes so good, folks seldom notice if
the milk is smooth or not. This is good with
any grain for a main dish, or just plain
over noodles or potatoes. If you can your
own tomatoes, you can double or triple the
recipe for each quart of tomatoes you use.
This recipe makes about 2-1/2 cup of gravy.
Good with biscuits for breakfast or lunch,
especially in the wintertime.
UPDATE from a reader named Bob; November
2005
Bob says that in his restaurant they add the
milk to the flour and fat first and then let
it thicken. When it is bubbly and thick,
then you add your tomatoes. This is supposed
to keep it from curdling. If your tomato
gravy always curdles, then try this trick
and see if it turns out better.
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