Biscuits and gravy

Half of my family is pretty Southern. And by Southern, I mean country Southern. My daddy spent his summers on his grandparents' farm in Arkansas, a place where indoor plumbing was slow to take. When my dad married my Korean mom, his mother taught my mom how to cook "American" food (re: Southern American food). You might think that this food is way different from Korean food and, in many respects, sure, ya got me--the ingredients are very different and Korean food is way more colorful (i.e. more emphasis on vegetables and less on protein and carbs). Even with all of that, there are some basic precepts they have in common:

1. Making things by hand is always best.
2. Don't ever shy away from pickling things--cabbage, beets, eggs, garlic, kimchi. (My dad's mom was the biggest fan of kimchi, and she didn't hesitate to put it on anything.)
3. Things that look like weeds in the woods can be really good eating. Try foraging with an old Korean woman or old Southern woman from the country. They'll tell ya.
4. Food doesn't have to be fancy to be good. Put another way: Humble food is the most delicious.

So, all that being said, my post today is about a very Southern food that follows the last of these rules: biscuits and gravy. You can get my biscuits recipe here, but my mom uses the Pillsbury kind that come in a can in the refrigerated section. Growing up, my brother actually preferred plain bread or toast over biscuits to eat with gravy.

Gravy is really simple to make. Based on the amount of milk you use, you can stretch one pound of breakfast sausage pretty far. My recipe here is enough for three or four, if you're also eating eggs or hash browns or fruit alongside it.

I use Jimmy Dean pork sausage, because that's what I grew up with. There are other brands, I'm sure, but I like using what my mom uses. You brown the sausage, throw in some flour, and then pour in some milk. Cook it until the gravy thickens and darned if you're not in for some excellent eating.

An action shot, as it were. My brother couldn't wait for me to take a picture of his meal. Biscuits and gravy are his favorite.

Biscuits and gravy
(serves 3-4)

Ingredients

16 oz sausage without the casings (I used Jimmy Dean pork sausage)
1/4 cup flour
2 cups of milk (I used whole, which is what I had--if you use skim, it will take longer to thicken)
1/2 tsp black pepper

Biscuits (I usually plan for three per person--you can use my recipe here)

Instructions

Brown sausage in a large skillet over medium high heat, breaking it up so only bite-sized pieces remain. When sausage is mostly browned, sprinkle flour over the sausage, stirring it in to coat the pieces. Let the floured sausage cook for a minute or two. Pour in the milk, stirring everything around. Let the gravy come briefly to a boil, then turn the heat down a bit to medium. Cook the gravy and stir occasionally until gravy is nice and thick (thicker than an Alfredo sauce). When I used whole milk, it only took a few minutes for the gravy to thicken.

Serve over biscuits. My mom would scramble some eggs and cut up a cantaloupe or some oranges to eat alongside the gravy.