Turkey Giblet Gravy

[rose1]

I have drippings from a roasted turkey and wonder if it can be used as a base for broth and if so how? Would like to use this for soup.

[CM]

Hi Rose and welcome to TalkFood!

Roast turkey drippings make wonderful gravy and are a good starter for soup. You can remove the excess fat by refrigerating the drippings, then scrape off the fat that congeals at the top.

Put the giblets (neck, heart, liver and gizzard) into a saucepan and cover with water or broth (about 1 pint) while the turkey roasts. Add a bay leave, a few leaves of parsley and thyme, a stalk of celery and a few carrots, a few cloves of garlic and an onion, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. pepper (or to taste), and 1/4 tsp. rubbed sage or 3-4 fresh sage leaves and simmer until the giblets are very tender. Strain and reserve the broth.

Set aside the turkey neck and liver. Simmer the broth over low heat until the volume of the liquid has reduced by half. Add the drippings from the roast with the fat removed (you can buy a gravy pouring gadget that allows you to strain off the fat right away without the need to refrigerate).

Save 1 or 2 tablespoons of the turkey fat (or use olive oil or butter instead). Mix the fat or olive oil with 4 tablespoons of flour (Wondra is good for gravy, especially for beginners, because it's less likely to lump). Brown the flour mixture in a skillet, whisking constantly, gradually stirring in the strained giblet stock.

Simmer until the gravy has thickened to the consistency that you prefer. Add a little more broth if too thick, or a bit more flour if too thin. Always simmer for 20 minutes after adding flour to cook the flour and remove what would otherwise be a "raw" flour taste. Chop the heart and the gizzard and add back to the broth or save it for adding to stuffing.

Add sliced mushrooms and chopped onions if you like, or the vegetables can be pureed and added.

Season to taste before serving.