Comfort foods were developed through the ages by cooking with what we had on hand. Tomato Gravy is a good example of this. During hard times, the times we need comforting foods, we cook meals using whatever foods are readily available. The dishes are often simple, but always filling. Simple meals filling big, simmering pots on top of the stove would warm the family.
Perhaps that’s why certain foods make us feel good. Even if we don’t remember hard times like our parents or grandparents did, we sat at the table with these family folks eating the comfort foods from their youth, and it became our comfort food.
When it comes to varieties in recipes, Tomato Gravy is at the top of the list. There are as many variations as there are cooks. We make simple tomato gravy during the winter with whatever we have on hand – if I have canned diced tomatoes, that’s what I use. If I have tomato sauce, I use that. If the garden is ripe, I pick tomatoes. If I have onion on hand, I might throw some in. The basic flour and oil thickened tomatoes recipe has a lot of room for tweaking.
Most people who make Tomato Gravy agree that you start with the roux. That is the oil and flour mixture that is cooked together to form a thickener. This roux takes a bit of practice and fearlessness. If you are afraid to let the mixture cook and brown a little, you will end up with a floury tasting mixture. Let it cook that flour taste out and you’ll have the base for an excellent tomato gravy. If you like, you can use a mixture of oil and butter, but never use butter alone as it will burn very easily.
Tomato gravy can form the main meal or serve as a side dish or light lunch. Serve tomato gravy over some freshly made buttermilk biscuits for a nice warm lunch or snack. If you’re serving a fried chicken dinner, add a pile of smashed potatoes covered with tomato gravy for a filling meal. You can also use tomato gravy to add flavor to other vegetables, like green beans or collards.
An old family recipe for tomato gravy is nice, but if you don’t happen to have one, check out the internet resources or cookbooks you already have. You are bound to find several recipes for tomato gravy. The recipes may vary so much that you get confused which one to try, so just choose the one that’s the simplest at first. You can tweak the recipe to suit your own taste as you go along, but even a basic roux and tomato sauce recipe will taste wonderful to your hungry family.
One heads up about making tomato gravy. You may see pictures of cooks making this dish in a cast iron skillet. I can’t recommend that you do that because tomatoes are very acidic and will quickly strip the lovely coating from your favorite cast iron skillet. Save your cast iron pans for pot roasts and fried chicken.
Harvesting and gathering simple foods that were readily available to us is how we created comfort foods. Taking only a couple tomatoes and blending them with a roux creates one of the most simple comfort foods we know – tomato gravy. The next time you want a little comfort, whip up a warm and wonderful Tomato Gravy and treat your family to a real labor of love.
It’s easy to learn how to make tomato gravy with a few simple recipes. A good old fashioned recipe doesn’t have to be difficult when you learn the basics – and the results are delicious!
