For making a gravy sauce, you can use tomato paste. If you want to make a tasty one, I suggest you choose a frying form of tomato paste that is really cheap. The price and quality of this kind of sauce will force you to make it again and again.
Tomato gravy is a staple of Southern cooking, and it doesn’t matter who you are or where you’re from, everyone can agree that it’s delicious.
If you’ve never tried tomato gravy before, you have to try the recipe that was passed down from my mother-in-father, law’s Dale. This recipe for gravy has a deliciously unique twist, and it’s packed with flavor and substance.
You are going to want to prepare it over and over again. (And again.) The most exciting part? It is quite simple to prepare. Genuinely good meal. Eat anything that won’t hurt your ribs. Food for the family.
Melissa Dommert has been very kind in providing us with the gift of this scrumptious dish.
Melissa is an excellent cook, and the majority of the recipes she uses are ones that have been passed down in her family—with this particular dish being one of the oldest family recipes she possesses.
Now, without further ado, I would like to present to you Melissa!
When the rooster crowed in the morning, everyone in Cajun country was already seated at the table drinking coffee and having breakfast. This family recipe is a true representation of the flavor of Cajun country.
Throughout her life, Mama (Patsy Paul) prepared numerous batches of biscuits and tomato gravy using the Stove Top method.
Every day, I find myself missing her. When I’ve had a difficult day and I need to feel closer to her, I come home and prepare biscuits and tomato gravy, and it reminds me of how much she loves her family and how much she enjoys cooking.
When I walk into Mama’s kitchen and smell the roux being cooked, it almost brings back memories of being there…just one more time.
I have no doubt that her mother, Carmen Inez Shirley, was the one who taught her how to create this dish. Even though it consists of little more than biscuits and gravy, I consider this to be “the dish” that brings me full circle to my mother’s kitchen table.
Cooking recipe contributed by Melissa Dommert and her mother.
Mama’s Tomato Gravy
This recipe gives you an authentic taste of Cajun Country in Louisiana. When I say “where folks are already sitting at the table drinking coffee and having breakfast by the time the rooster crows,” I mean a setting where people are already in the habit of doing so.
Over the course of her life, Mama whipped up numerous batches of biscuits and tomato gravy. I have no doubt that she got the recipe for this dish from her mother, Carmen Inez Shirley. This is the dish that makes me feel like I’m sitting at my mother’s table again.
At any point during the day—breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner—serve with affection over hot buttermilk biscuits along with bacon or sausage.
Ingredients
a quarter of a cup of bacon drippings
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups of water 1 can of tomato paste, half the size (6 ounces)
To taste, salt, and freshly ground black pepper.
Directions
In a skillet, bring the bacon drippings to a temperature of medium-high. Mix the flour into the bacon drippings, then cook the mixture while tossing it frequently until it becomes golden brown. While continuing to whisk, gradually incorporate the water into the flour mixture.
Mix in the tomato paste using a whisk. Cook the mixture until it reaches the point where it starts to thicken. Turn the heat down to low and simmer the mixture for about 5 minutes, or until it has thickened. Add little salt and pepper before serving.
Serving Suggestions: Serve with love over hot buttermilk biscuits together with bacon or sausage for breakfast, brunch, lunch, or dinner. This dish can also be served in any of those other three meals. Because both your heart and your stomach will be satisfied, you will experience feelings of love no matter what time of day it is.
TIPS ON HOW TO MAKE THE BEST TOMATO GRAVY
Allow the flour and frying grease to color while they are cooking together. To prevent it from catching on fire, you will need to stir it continuously. Cooking it enables the flour to cook, which results in a more flavorful end product (instead of tasting like flour).
Add the liquid and tomatoes to the pan slowly. If you add it all at once, you risk having gravy that is too thin or has lots of lumps in it.
Keep in mind that you can always add more water, but you can’t add additional flour once the recipe has been made.
Prepare to be served piping hot!
Cook the mixture until it begins to bubble and then stir in some flour. Make careful to stir it consistently at all times. You want the flour to get cooked and golden, but you don’t want it to burn.
Then…we move on to the tomatoes. Make use of a large can of whole stewed tomatoes in this recipe. And not to mention all of that delicious tomato juice. Before adding them to the mixture for the gravy, I used my hands to break the whole tomatoes into smaller pieces. I simply cannot contain my excitement about preparing this dish using tomatoes from Tennessee.
When the magic begins to happen, you will be able to smell it the gravy with the tomatoes will start bubbling up, and oh my gosh, your stomach will start growling.
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste, are the only seasonings that are called for in this recipe.
Be careful not to overdo it with salt, particularly if the tomatoes already contain sodium on their own. If you enjoy pepper, you can go a little overboard with the amount you use. This gravy recipe calls for pepper, which works out perfectly.
Tennessee Tomato Gravy
A gravy that is thickened with flour and typically contains bacon grease, pan drippings from butter, and canned stewed tomatoes. This tomato gravy, which has been simmered until it is thick and bubbling, is best served over warm biscuits that have been buttered.
INGREDIENTS
28-ounce can of whole tomatoes cooked in stew Undrained
1 cup of water and a third of a cup of all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons of bacon grease or butter, whichever you choose.
a half teaspoon of black pepper and a quarter teaspoon of salt
INSTRUCTIONS
Bacon fat or butter should be melted in a big skillet (cast iron is ideal for this), which should be heated over medium heat. Stir in the flour.
Cooking while stirring with a fork or whisk until the mixture is smooth and bubbling should take around three to five minutes.
Take care not to toast the flour. You want it to have a “toasty” scent and be a light shade of brown. (If you take my advice, you will notice the odor.)
The next step is to add the liquid from the can of tomatoes to the combination of oil and flour. Mix it up until it’s silky and thick.
Crush the tomatoes into the ingredients for the gravy by hand, making sure to include all of the liquid. Include the pepper and salt in the dish.
Continue to stir. If more liquid is required, add up to one cup. Reduce the heat, continue cooking while stirring, and continue doing so until the tomato gravy reaches the required consistency.
Prepare and serve piping hot atop warm buttermilk biscuits, rice, or grits.
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