The sixteenth day of Hot Roxmas

A few days after "Christmas In New Zealand", it's time for Christmas in the island continent to the west. It's Paul Kelly, with his Australian holiday favorite "How To Make Gravy".



It's the story of an inmate calling home a few days before Christmas. He's a little sad that he's going to miss holidays with the family, and worried about who's going to make the damn gravy. Here's the secret recipe that he gives for them to follow.

Who's gonna make the gravy now?
I bet it won't taste the same
Just add flour, salt, a little red wine
And don't forget a dollop of tomato sauce
For sweetness and that extra tang

They're making a "Christmas roast" in the song, so maybe the recipe is different, but you should never ever need to add salt to turkey gravy. Ideal turkey roasting with moist meat and crispy skin needs a dry rub. The perfect rub is five parts Lawry's seasoned salt, one part pepper, and one part dried herbs (the four mentioned in that Simon & Garfunkel song)

This keeps the moisture inside the bird but the drippings end up tasting like the Dead Sea, so making the gravy becomes a constant struggle to reduce the saltiness. There's no need to add salt, but adding red wine and a dollop of tomato sauce does a great job of keeping the salt in check, as well as adding sweetness and that extra tang.

Paul Kelly - How To Make Gravy