<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
Hi all,
Well, I just got off the phone with Carey from Trader Joe’s. Their frozen
turkey gravy is indeed gluten-free, though it is produced on shared
equipment with other gluten-containing products. I asked him what this
meant, and he told me that while he wasn’t sure, it was most likely that the
machine they use to fill the containers of gravy is also used to fill
containers of gluten-containing things. He told me that they actually break
all the equipment down between runs to give it a thorough cleaning though,
to prevent cross-contamination.
I figure that all of us can decide for ourselves whether we’re comfortable
with the product, based on that information and our own sensitivities. I
will say though, he was so knowledgeable about celiac disease that we
actually had a rather sophisticated conversation about the gf status of
oats. Have I mentioned how much I love Trader Joe’s?
Anyway, several people sent me some very tasty-looking recipes for homemade
gravy. I’ve copied them below. Thanks!
Wishing a happy and gluten-free holiday season to everyone,
-- Tiffany
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I plan to make the stock like I make my chicken broth then thicken it with
cornstarch and add a little cream.
Dice boneless turkey cutlet or tenderloin and brown in 1 tbsp. olive oil
along with 2 stalks of diced celery, 2 carrots and a diced onion. When all
of this is browned add two cans of Swanson chicken broth ...this is GF.
Strain out the veggies and thicken with cornstarch 1 tbsp at a time until
desired thickness...add a little cream for the rich color.
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I just use a good boxed broth. The brands they sell at Trader Joe's are all
great: I'm sorry, I can't recall the brand name: Yellow box for Chicken
stock, Blue box for seafood stock, green box for roasted veggie stock-it
says "no glutens" on the box. They seem to work for me without any reaction.
They also have some other brands that might also say GF on the label
(Pacific Foods or Imagine, you could check for).
Let's see, I don't use any recipes, but I heat a pan with olive oil and
butter (not more than a few Tablespoons) sauté chopped onion, garlic, and
sliced mushrooms (white, cremini, or a mixture of any kind you like-or skip
if you don't like them) till fairly done. Then I add stock and white wine
until the desired amount. To thicken, I make a cornstarch slurry of a T.
cornstarch dissolved in some stock, or wine. I just put the slurry in a
plastic tub with the lid, shake it really well, then stir it into the hot
stock, gravy mixture. It will thicken when it comes to a boil. I also add
fresh herbs, use what you like: I use thyme leaves, chopped sage leaves,
maybe a little fresh parsley, salt, pepper.
Other options are to add roasted garlic mashed or pureed, other types of
wine might also work (red, etc.)
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Pacific foods all natural turkey gravy is gluten free. I purchased it at
trader Joes and asked my nutritionist if it was gluten free. She's an
expert in celiac disease and she said it was gluten free.
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I make a really excellent gravy using Kitchen Basics chicken stock
<http://www.kitchenbasics.net/>. I use this brand stock because it
is really delicious, and also GF among being devoid of many other
undesirable additives -- also considerably lower in sodium than other
brands. I think it's pretty easily found in a variety of stores.
I start with a large box (I think it is 32 oz.) of the regular
chicken stock as it comes, and boil it with these vegetables, cut up
into chunks: carrots (2), celery (2 stalks), onion (1) and potatoes
(2 medium) -- seasoned with some kind of bouquet garni (for
Thanksgiving, I usually go a bit heavy on the sage, but also I'll add
bay leaf, oregano, parsley, rosemary and thyme). DO NOT SALT the
stock, because what you want to do is boil it down to a reduction,
and it increases naturally in saltiness. I usually boil about a
third of the liquid off.
When all the veggies are VERY mushy, remove them and let them cool a
bit. I then remove the spices (or just the bay leaf, if you've put
the whole spices into the stock, rather than packing them in
cheesecloth) and remove all but one chunk (about 1") of the carrot.
(Too much carrot will make your gravy orange!)
I do cut up the onion and celery into fairly small bits (otherwise
they can become stringy in the processor) and I puree all the
vegetables (potatoes, celery, onions and the very small bit of
carrot) in a food processor until it's as smooth as it will get. I
add a bit of the cooled stock into the food processor and process
some more. When it is very smooth, I add it back (a bit at a time)
into the original reduced stock -- until it is the desired thickness.
(You might not want to add all of the puree back in, if the "gravy"
becomes thick enough -- I just eat this stuff alone, as it's really
quite yummy!)
If you can eat dairy, it really increases the richness of the gravy
to add a tablespoon of unsalted butter and a tablespoon of heavy
cream. When it is all completed, then you can salt and pepper to
taste.
Yeah, it's a lot of trouble. But it is just so much more tasty than
broth thickened with cornstarch. (BUT, if it should not get thick
enough with the purred vegetables, you CAN add a bit of cornstarch to
finish the job.)
* Visit the Celiac Web Page at www.enabling.org/ia/celiac/index.html *
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