On a recent trip to Germany, writer Sherry Spitsnaugle boarded a chartered ship that sailed along the Rhine River. Among the delicious foods she enjoyed on the ship was Onion Gravy, served over sliced beef. Sherry was able to obtain the German onion gravy recipe to share with Real Food Traveler readers. 

Save this recipe for German Onion Gravy to Pinterest so you can make it anytime. Photo courtesy of Canva.com is an approximation of what the onion gravy looks like, served over slices of roast beef as it was on Sherry’s ship. Graphic by RealFoodTraveler.com.

As Sherry mentions in this article about her sailing experience on the Rhine, with Scylla charter ships and tour operators, this onion gravy really appealed to her because she grew up in Kansas, loving hearty comfort foods.

In the article, Sherry describes the gravy as being “deliciously rich and flavorful.”

Hungry for more? See what it’s like to visit Germany via a river cruise.

Recipe for Authentic German Onion Gravy

Courtesy of Scylla’s MS Inspire, Executive Chef Petar Petrov

Ingredients:
25 grams of butter (approx. 1.75 TBS converted)
1 TBS olive oil
1 By leaf
2 Sprigs of thyme
4 Onions sliced (red, white or a mixture)
1 tsp Sugar
1 TBS Flour
200 ml red wine (approx. 1 cup minus 2 TBS)
2 tsp red wine vinegar (or vegetable stock)
500 ml beef or vegetable stock (approx. 2 ¼ cups minus 2 TBS

Hungry for more? Here’s a recipe for Mushroom Gravy from Columbia, MO.

Directions:

Step 1 –
Melt the butter with the olive oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat.
Add the bay leaf and thyme and cook for a minute to infuse the flavors of the herbs.
Add the onions and coat well in the butter and oil.
Sprinkle over the sugar and a big pinch of salt and slowly cook the onions down for 45-50 minutes, stirring occasionally until sticky and caramelized.

Step 2 –
Add the flour and stir well, coating all of the onions.
Cook for a minute, then add the wine and vinegar, turn up the heat and reduce by half, about 2 minutes, whisking a little to ensure the flour doesn’t lump at all.
Pour in the stock, bring to a boil and cook for 6-8 minutes, until the gravy is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. If you cook it a bit too much and it gets too thick, add a splash of water.
Season well and serve.

Hungry for more? Read Sherry’s article about the tradition of Dresden Stollen Sweet Bread.