Southern Cooking- Grits and Tomato Gravy

I recently read habee’s hub, Southern Cuisine: Tomato Gravy. Great hub, but a completely different Southern gravy experience than my own! My mom makes Tomato Gravy as a milk gravy, so of course I do too. And we never eat it with rice or potatoes. We eat it with grits or over biscuits.

Get your grits started before you start your gravy. I never use instant grits! I use Quaker Quick Grits, which say “5 minutes”, but I cook them much longer, so that they are creamy. Jim Dandy grits are good too. I’ve used the store brand in a pinch, but they definitely were not the same. I’ve recently started cooking grits with homemade chicken stock, which makes them “slap your grandma” good.

1 cup grits

3 to 4 cups of chicken broth or water

1 tsp salt, adjust per saltiness of chicken stock

1- Pour grits in saucepan, and rinse. Add 3 cups of broth or water. Add salt. Cover and heat on medium, stirring frequently so grits don’t get lumpy.

2- When grits start to boil strongly, reduce heat to low, so that they continue to simmer or bubble lightly, about 20 minutes. Stir occasionally.

3- Add additional stock or water as needed for desired consistency. I like my grits fairly thick.

4- If you have used water instead of chicken stock, I suggest you add 2 Tbsp of butter the last 5 minutes of cooking for richness.

My mom seldom made homemade biscuits, though her sisters did. Especially Aunt Totsie. Mom always uses canned Hungry Jack Flaky Buttermilk Biscuits from the refrigerator section. I like frozen biscuits or Bisquick biscuits.

Pan drippings

3 to 5 heaping Tbsp plain flour

2 to 4 fresh tomatoes, peeled and diced or 1 can diced tomatoes

1 can evaporated milk (this gives the gravy richness)

16 oz milk, whole or 2%

Water as needed

Salt and pepper to taste

1- Gravy is best when you start with “pan drippings” in a hot skillet.  For example, the oil that you would fry breaded chicken or steak in, which would have some browned flour and pieces of the breading.  If you don’t have pan drippings, use canola oil, enough to cover the bottom of the pan about ¼ inch deep. 

2- Pan and oil should be hot, and stove burner on medium high.  Add flour 1 heaping Tbsp at a time.  I use about 4 Tbsp, but it does seem to vary according to location.  When I lived in IL, it seemed to take less flour.  I’m assuming this has to do with altitude.  You can always add more liquid if the gravy is too thick. 

3- The flour should be completely blended in liquid oil, and not be a thick paste.  Heat until flour is browned but not burned, stirring constantly. 

4- Add tomatoes.  They should sizzle.  “Stew” the tomatoes on medium high for a minute or 2. 

5- Reduce heat.  Add half of the milk quickly, stirring vigorously.  It will thicken up quickly.  Blend in the remaining milk. 

6- Add additional milk or water as needed to have a nice consistency. 

7- Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

8- Simmer on low for 5 to 10 minutes. 

9- Serve over grits or biscuits. 

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