The Gravy

Hi.  


Hi there.


Let's be honest with each other for a minute. My food isn't really intended for a health conscious diet. I can tell myself all day long that just because my salad is coated in a glistening layer of warm bacon dijon dressing doesn't mean its any less healthy. But..I cook food that people love. People eat emotionally at my house, and that emotion is usually a mix of extreme joy and contentment. Granted, the people that eat at my house are usually young professionals and they're just happy that their food did not come from a take out container.


But I digress. The Gravy.

The gravy was made by my mama, and by her mama, and her mama before that. It's made of embarrassing ingredients and very little skill is necessary to create it, but its been known to elicit proposals of marriage. There is meat in it, cheap steak, but it really is mainly about the gravy, which i recommend eating over very creamy mashed potatoes. I recommend eating it heavily throughout the winter...or any time you're poor and hungry and need to be reminded of the old country :)

Cast:
- 1 1/2 lb round steak (honestly, use any any any piece of cheap meat in the case, really!)
- 2 cans cream of mushroom (please don't bother getting the low fat or slightly healthier version)
- some flour
- some oil
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 small onion, chopped
- water, as you need it


Ok.  Heat the oil on medium high in a large skillet with higher sides (my mother would recommend an electric skillet for this dish).  Pour about a cup of flour in a flat dish and season with salt and pepper. Cut the steak into pieces about bite sized (or larger if you want to focus more on the meat). Dredge the steak in the flour, and place in the skillet to brown.  After a few minutes, turn steak and brown on the other side.  Once everything is looking nice and brown, about five minutes or so, add the onion to the meat and spoon the mushroom soup over top.  Add a can and a half worth of water and stir to combine.  It will look pretty disgusting.

Thats ok, I promise.  From here, you have a few choices about how you want to handle the next few hours (seriously, this gets better the longer it cooks, so give it at least four hours). I was home all day being lazy, so I just kept it on the stovetop in my skillet. My grandmother would do the whole thing in her electric skillet, and my mom usually starts everything either stovetop or in an electric skillet, but transfers it to the over so she doesn't have to think about it the whole time. It's really whatever you like.  Just remember to keep it covered and stir frequently, adding more water as necessary so it doesn't get dry.

After a few hours, it will start to look gloriously delicious and the meat will start to fall apart. Add a good amount of fresh cracked pepper, and serve over creamy mashed potatoes and you are set.  For life.