If you have read my previous post, I spent most of my week dealing with the common cold. I was glad I had soup on hand. However, I think I had enough soup for a while.
Even though Spring arrived 6 days ago, the weather outside is still cold and comfort food is still very much welcomed. Nothing says comfort more than gravy. Mix with that caramelized onions and hamburg and you have a winner.
Pleasing everyone’s food tastes is not always easy. This recipe never fails at my house. In order to make this, you will need:
- 2 larges yellow onions
- 2 pounds of ground beef (I’ll use medium but you can also use lean)
- 2 tablespoons of salted butter
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
- 2 tablespoons of flour
- 2 cups of beef broth
- 1 cup of red wine
- 2 tablespoons of tomato paste
- 1 clove of garlic
- 1 tablespoons of dried parsley
- 1/4 teaspoon of dried thyme
- salt and pepper
You want to start off by making your beef patties. Season your meat generously with salt and pepper and work into meat. When complete, shape into medium size patties about 1\2-inch thick. You should be able to make around 6 patties. Insure that when making your patties, you firmly press your meat together to prevent them from falling apart while cooking. Once you are done, set aside in the fridge.
The onions are the star of the gravy. When slicing them, keep your onion full, this way we will get beautiful round onion slices. Don’t slice them to thick.
In a large sauce pan, heat your butter and add your onions. Cook over a medium heat and let your onions brown. You may want to stir occasionally in order to prevent your onions from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
Once your onions are nice golden brown, put in your minced garlic clove. You want to only cook it for a few minutes and then start adding your beef broth, 1\2 cup at a time. Set aside 1\2 cup of broth that we will add at the end. Let the broth simmer and reduce before adding more. The purpose of this is to give the onions that deep beef taste. This will also help properly caramelize the onions. After 30 minutes, your broth should have reduced to almost half. It’s now time to stir in your flour, making sure that no clumps are formed (no one likes clumps of flour in their gravy). Stir for about 2 minutes, you will see it begin to thicken. Now add your wine and let reduce by half, stirring occasionally to prevent from sticking. When your wine has reduced, poor in your reserved 1\2 cup of broth, parsley, thyme and tomato paste. Mix well together and let simmer for another 10 minutes.
While this is simmering, pull out your meat patties out of the fridge. Heat your tablespoon of olive oil in large cast iron skillet (or non stick skillet) and sear your patties until a both sides are properly browned. Pour your gravy over the patties and let it simmer for around 10 minutes. Voila, you are ready to serve.
These patties can be served with a variety of different sides. At our house, it is unanimous, we are having these patties with mashed potatoes. You can also serve them with oven roasted vegetables or over rice noodles. The possibilities are endless.
Indeed the gravy takes a lot of time to make. However, nothing says ”I love you” more than a home cooked meal!
