(3) In a separate sauce pan or frying pan, fat and flour are cooked together over heat so low that they may simmer for 15 minutes without scorching. Gravies for roasts, pot-roasts, and ragouts, are best made in this manner, with some of the fat skimmed from pot or roasting pan. The general rule for quantities is i table- spoon of fat to I tablespoon of flour, and i cup of liquid. The thorough cooking of flour and fat together before the liquid is added prevents the pastiness that is characteristic of bad gravies. It is obvious that this part of the process should begin before the meat is quite done. The careless gravy maker errs right here, by starting so late that either the gravy is stickily underdone, or the meat is drying out in the oven while she is patiently stirring, sea- soning, and straining the gravy. Before this final cooking, the gravy should be tasted, and here is where the artistry comes in. While the tongue is holding the flavor, the cook stands before her seasoning GOOD GRAVIES 85 shelf, so that inspiration may decide just what touch of this or that will make the composition perfect. For flavor is what one craves in a gravy, not too much, but just enough to enhance the food it accompanies. Our seasoning shelf for sauces contains such simple things as these: a glass jar of dried celery leaves, another of dried parsley, others containing thyme, marjoram, sage, etc.; a sifter of dried chili peppers, to be crumbled between the hands; a shaker of celery salt; a bottle of red chili peppers in vinegar; soy sauce from Chinatown — cheaper than Worcestershire; a jar of tomato paste bought in bulk at an Italian grocery, with a little oil always poured over the surface to keep it moist and fresh; paprika — the best Hungarian is cheap and wonderful, but buy it in bulk; whole peppers to be twisted in a corner of cloth and crushed to give real pepper flavor; beef and chicken cubes, of which the Herb-Ox brand is the best weVe found. It has appetizing green specks of tangy herbs in it. No milk gravy for meats should ever turn out white. It should be tawny with delicately browned flour, or pale pink with paprika. And it should have an appetizing flavor of its own, imparted by celery leaves, or parsley, or a little grated onion — whatever goes best with the meat. For dark gravies the French have a trick we have adopted. We very slowly fry a minced onion in about 2 tablespoons of the meat fat, cover the pan and let the onion merely smother until nearly done, sprinkle in the flour — about a tablespoonful — through a sieve; stir and fry for 5 minutes. The liquid goes in then, and stirring is vigorous until all are well mixed. It must simmer for 10 minutes longer, be occasionally stirred, and finally finished by straining. French cooks sometimes fry a grated small carrot with the onion, and drop in a little chopped celery before simmering. The result is truly tasty. X Right Down to the Squeal With the high price of pork, ham and bacon, it's a good thing to know that every part of the pig is good eating, right down to the squeal. Spareribs, jowls, liver, kidney, yes, even the ears and tails, every one of them as good as "poke chops" in its way.

AI-modernized reading of the original text

(3) In a separate sauce pan or frying pan, fat and flour are cooked together over heat so low that they may simmer for 15 minutes without scorching. Gravies for roasts, pot-roasts, and ragouts, are best made in this manner, with some of the fat skimmed from pot or roasting pan. The general rule for quantities is i tablespoon of fat to I tablespoon of flour, and i cup of liquid. The thorough cooking of flour and fat together before the liquid is added prevents the pastiness that is characteristic of bad gravies. It is obvious that this part of the process should begin before the meat is quite done. The careless gravy maker errs right here, by starting so late that either the gravy is stickily underdone, or the meat is drying out in the oven while she is patiently stirring, seasoning, and straining the gravy. Before this final cooking, the gravy should be tasted, and here is where the artistry comes in. While the tongue is holding the flavor, the cook stands before her seasoning GOOD GRAVIES 85 shelf, so that inspiration may decide just what touch of this or that will make the composition perfect. For flavor is what one craves in a gravy, not too much, but just enough to enhance the food it accompanies. Our seasoning shelf for sauces contains such simple things as these: a glass jar of dried celery leaves, another of dried parsley, others containing thyme, marjoram, sage, etc.; a sifter of dried chili peppers, to be crumbled between the hands; a shaker of celery salt; a bottle of red chili peppers in vinegar; soy sauce from Chinatown — cheaper than Worcestershire; a jar of tomato paste bought in bulk at an Italian grocery, with a little oil always poured over the surface to keep it moist and fresh; paprika — the best Hungarian is cheap and wonderful, but buy it in bulk; whole peppers to be twisted in a corner of cloth and crushed to give real pepper flavor; beef and chicken cubes, of which the Herb-Ox brand is the best we've found. It has appetizing green specks of tangy herbs in it. No milk gravy for meats should ever turn out white. It should be tawny with delicately browned flour, or pale pink with paprika. And it should have an appetizing flavor of its own, imparted by celery leaves, or parsley, or a little grated onion — whatever goes best with the meat. For dark gravies the French have a trick we have adopted. We very slowly fry a minced onion in about 2 tablespoons of the meat fat, cover the pan and let the onion merely smother until nearly done, sprinkle in the flour — about a tablespoonful — through a sieve; stir and fry for 5 minutes. The liquid goes in then, and stirring is vigorous until all are well mixed. It must simmer for 10 minutes longer, be occasionally stirred, and finally finished by straining. French cooks sometimes fry a grated small carrot with the onion, and drop in a little chopped celery before simmering. The result is truly tasty. Right Down to the Squeal With the high price of pork, ham and bacon, it's a good thing to know that every part of the pig is good eating, right down to the squeal. Spareribs, jowls, liver, kidney, yes, even the ears and tails, every one of them as good as "poke chops" in its way.

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