Mushroom & Herb Gravy

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Ingredients 

  • 16 ounces of chopped or sliced mushrooms (can be a combination of 2-3 varieties, such as white button, porchini, crimini, baby bells, or shitake)

  • 1 tablespoon oil, such as avocado

  • 1/4 cup of vegan butter

  • 1/4 cup gluten-free flour (YES, you can use all-purpose flour as well)

  • ½ onion, diced small

  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced

  • 3 cups vegetable broth (can use 2 bouillon cubes or 1.5 tablespoons of broth paste in water)

  • 2 teaspoons of (coconut aminos, liquid aminos or vegan Worcestershire sauce)

  • 1/2 cup rough-chopped herbs (such as parsley, rosemary, sage, or thyme (a few sprigs of each-spare yourself from measuring herbs 😂.)

  • 1 bay leaf

  • Pink Himalayan salt, to taste

  • Cracked pepper, to taste

  • 2-3 tablespoons nondairy milk (any nondairy milk will work, but coconut will be good because it leaves a distinct coconut flavor)


Makes about 1.5 pints of gravy

Instructions 

Start with a very hot pan (high heat). This is your key to beautifully crisp pieces of mushrooms, which will be your first step of flavor to your finished product.

Add oil and mushrooms. Do not touch them once you add them to the pan for about 5-8 minutes. This allows all the water to leave the mushrooms and avoids soggy ‘shrooms. Once you see many of the bottom mushrooms have crisp, brown edges, mix them up with a wooden spoon. Sprinkle a little salt over them. Allow to sit a few more minutes and continue until majority of the mushrooms are browned. Remove from pan and place in a dish and set aside.

NOTE 1: YES- You can use dried herbs, however, it’s the holidays, so use fresh herbs if you can.

Turn down the heat (medium heat). Do not rinse the pan! Add butter and flour (roux). Using your wooden spoon, break up any bits from the bottom of the pan while the butter is melting. Once flour and butter is well mixed, allow the roux to slowly brown. Go in every 1-2 minutes and mix evenly. This keeps the roux from scorching.

You can slightly increase the heat to speed this process up but, you must stay at the stove, stirring constantly. The desired color of the roux should be butterscotch-to-caramel colored. This step should take about 10-15 minutes on medium heat.

NOTE 2: There are a lot of recipes that achieve their color and flavor from adding different browning agents and condiments. Spend a little extra time getting a beautifully colored roux, which adds color and flavor to your gravy.

Once you have the desired color, toss in diced onions and sauté right into your roux for a few minutes to soften (about 2 minutes). Then add garlic sauté for 30 seconds. Slowly add warm broth while whisking vigorously at the same time to prevent the gravy from clumping. Continue to whisk vigorously until smooth. Once gravy has thickened, add mushrooms, herbs, aminos or vegan worcestershire. Add salt and pepper, taste to check the flavor. Adjust if you need to by adding more pepper or salt.

Finish by adding nondairy milk. This brings everything together and leaves a creamier taste. Remove bay leaf. Ladle into a gravy dish or bowl. Enjoy!

NOTE 3: If your gravy is too thick, DON’T PANIC! Just add 1/4 cup of broth or water at a time until desired consistency. Different flour blends, gluten verses gluten free, can yield a thicker consistency.

Charity Morgan