Southern Tomato Gravy

20 minutes prep 30 minutes active cooking 50 minutes total

Makes 4 - 6 servings

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Southern tomato gravy has its roots in Appalachia, where the cold winters require produce to be put up when it's ready. Summer tomatoes in the garden mean canned tomatoes for the winter pantry. Ronni Lundy, one of the founders of the Southern Foodways Alliance and part of the hillbilly diaspora, says that "tomato gravy is a quick winter fix intended to remind you of the sharp tang of the summer garden."

But you don’t have to wait for cold weather to make tomato gravy. Fresh, ripe tomatoes make for tasty gravy, too. Just don’t confuse this with the meaty, long-cooked tomato sauce that some Italian-Americans call gravy. Southern tomato gravy, like most traditional gravies, gets thickened with flour. The ragu dubbed gravy by early immigrants gains viscosity during the hours-long simmer.

Historically made with the flour-thickened drippings from cooked meat, gravy offers some extra flavor from a handful of pantry ingredients. In Appalachia tomato gravy usually started with a dollop of bacon grease from a can on the back of the stove. It made simple foods like cornbread or biscuits taste better. Our version gets even more flavor with the non-traditional addition of celery and jalapeño.

What You'll Need

Ingredients

For the shopping list

2 slices of bacon, chopped*
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 jalapeño, finely chopped (remove the seeds and white membrane for less chile heat)
3-4 medium tomatoes, chopped or grated*
2 tablespoons of All Purpose flour
Pinch sugar
To taste black pepper, freshly ground
*you can use just bacon fat or olive oil; substitute about 2 cups of canned, crushed tomatoes

From our shop

Out of stock

As needed Novo Frantoio
$27.00– Tuscany - Italy

To taste Italian Fine Sea Salt
$7.00– Trapani - Sicily

Equipment

From the kitchen

Large Skillet
1 Chef's Knife
1 Cutting Board
Measuring Spoons

"Got tomatoes? Make gravy!"

~ Jim Dixon, founder Wellspent and Real Good Food

What you'll have to do

Step 1

Cook the bacon in a bit of olive oil until lightly browned. Add the onion, celery, and pepper with a good pinch of salt and cook until soft, about 5 minutes.