Basic Mushroom Gravy with Herbs

Who doesn't need gravy?  Savory sauciness is dear to the hearts of all, vegans included.  Think about all those naked grains, pastas, baked potatoes, stir fries just crying out for flavor-enhancing, moist blankets. Dinner would be a dull affair indeed without accessorizing with gravy.

Be well comforted with my new discovery.  Let your plain Jane meals ascend to their rightful place in the ranks of stellar meals adorned with...

Basic Mushroom Gravy with Herbs
from Big Vegan by Robin Asbell

Worth the chopping!

2 tbs. canola oil or Earth Balance margarine
4 oz. fresh button mushrooms, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. chopped onion
3 tbs. unbleached all-purpose/plain flour (I used white whole wheat flour.)
1 c. plain rice milk (Subbed plain, unsweetened almond milk here.)
1 c. basic vegetable stock or mushroom stock (Recipes for these stocks also appear in Big Vegan.  I used veggie stock I had on hand.)
3 tbs. nutritional yeast
1 tbs. tamari or soy sauce
1 tsp. crumbled dried sage leaves
1/4 tsp. dried thyme
1/4 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

Makes about 2 1/4 cups

The saute begins.

In a medium saucepan over medium-high heat, warm the oil, then add the mushrooms and onion.  Saute until the mushrooms are shrunken and wet.  Sprinkle on the flour, then stir to make a paste.  Keep cooking and stirring until the mixture starts sticking to the pan.  In a large measuring cup, combine the milk, stock, yeast, tamari, sage, thyme and marjoram.  Whisk to combine.

Over medium heat, continue to stir the mushroom mixture constantly, scraping the pan with the spatula, until the mixture bubbles and turns a shade darker and the mushrooms brown.  Take the pan off the heat, add a little of the milk mixture, and work it into a paste with the spatula.  Keep adding the liquid a little at a time and working it in, switching to a whisk as it gets incorporated.

With milk mixture, thickening.

Put the pan back over medium-high heat.  Whisk constantly until the gravy boils, then immediately reduce the heat to low and cook for a couple of minutes, until thickened.  Add the salt and season with pepper and take the gravy off the heat.  Serve warm or let cool and refrigerate for up to 1 week.  Reheat gently over low  heat.   

Basic Mushroom Gravy with Herbs over baked russet potatoes, with steamed broccoli.  Dinner is served!

I've made this gravy twice in the past two weeks because there was something wrong with it the first time around:  there just wasn't enough of it!  I had to reprise my quality time in the kitchen with mushrooms, knives and spatulas to make this savory sauce.  It's hearty, not heavy, and full of herbs that comfort and sustain.  Truthfully, I simply needed more of it, and soon!  

One of my cooking stumbling blocks is the perennial need for sauce to bind together a starch and vegetables.  Knowing that Robin Asbell's gravy would keep for a week, I decided to triple this recipe and have been happily marrying it with the above pictured potatoes, as well as whole wheat spaghetti with vegetables and as a side dish with brown rice.  As long as you're a fan of mushrooms, this versatile gravy will repay your culinary efforts many times over.  In fact, I took a measure of liberties with the instructions and the result was near-perfection, so don't be put off by a list of steps that may seem a little long or fussy.  The recipe is pretty forgiving.

At 544 pages, Big Vegan is certainly aptly named.  This door-stop of a book was published in 2011 and covers every genre from pantry staples to desserts, with a welcome presence from world cuisines.  I wish I could try every recipe, but I'm afraid I would have to quit my day job.  Well, maybe someday...but until then, I'll return to this sturdy volume from time to time and share the deliciousness with you.