All-Purpose Gravy

Ingredients

• 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small rib celery, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces
• 1 small onion, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 5 whole black peppercorns
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Add the carrot to a food processor and pulse until it is chopped into rough 1/4-inch bits, about five 1-second pulses. Add the celery and onion, then pulse again until the vegetables are all chopped into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.
2. Melt the butter in a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat. Once the foam settles down, add the vegetables and cook, stirring often, until they have softened and browned well, about 7 minutes.
3. Turn the heat down to medium. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring the whole time, until it is deeply browned and smells nutty, about 5 minutes.
4. Whisk steadily while you slowly pour in the broths. Bring the mixture to a boil, spooning away any foam that rises to the top.
5. Lower the heat to medium-low and stir in the bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns. Simmer, stirring now and then, until the gravy has thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Pour the gravy through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean saucepan, pressing on the vegetables to get out as much liquid as you can. Discard the solids.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve right away, or transfer to an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze; warm it again before serving.