Over the years I have had tomato gravy many times; it is always nice to have when company comes. Tomato Gravy is very simple to make, it goes with a variety of dishes but mainly when growing up it was a morning dish served with eggs.
It is kind of like you would make for stewed tomatoes but you start with juice (now having said this about stewed tomatoes it is is also good to use this recipe for stewed tomatoes. I think the addition of bacon drippings in the gravy or stewed tomatoes adds a bit of variety to the dish.
This dish is popular in Old Order Mennonite homes especially when they have company from visiting colonies, I have had it many times in homes for Sunday breakfast.
Tomato Gravy
in a skillet take some of the drippings that you got from frying bacon (or start with saved drippings) I am attempting to create a recipe for which no recipe exists in our family like so many things we don’t have written recipes you just make it.
4 servings.
4-6 Tablespoons Bacon Drippings or butter
4-6 Tablespoons Flour (you are making a Roux)
1 quart Tomato Juice, V-8 Juice or whole tomatoes (crushed by hand)
Salt and Pepper, and sugar to taste
Add Flour to dripping in a skillet over medium heat, brown slightly, then add,
a quart of tomato juice, V-8 juice (ours is home canned) or quart of whole tomatoes that have been crushed by hand.
Stir into the Roux, and continue to stir, taste and add salt and pepper as desired
Add a tablespoon of sugar or so according to preference (this helps smooth the acidic nature of the tomatoes and also as we always said helps take the green taste out)
As the mixture thickens keep stirring until desired thickness is achieved, if too thick thin with a bit of water or more juice, if too thin reduce some, or you can add a thickening of a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in water, and stir that in.
Serve with fried eggs, boiled or poached eggs, this is also a good side dish with any meal,. or over toast or biscuits or as said before a good way to make stewed tomatoes.
Note: In many Old Order Mennonite homes when they have over night company for Sunday Breakfast the tomato gravy is made, placed into a baking pan, a well is made at regular intervals and an egg is broken into each well, then the pan of gravy and eggs are placed into the oven and baked just until the eggs are done, this is a quick and easy way to prepare this dish for a group of hungry people.
