Update and Redux: C – It can be hard for the vegans out there during a holiday full of meats. Fear not, we have lots of recipes on our Web site to help with vegans/vegetarians coming to a Thanksgiving dinner. This vegan mushroom gravy is awesome. Not many people will know the difference from the non0vegan version.
C – I was a bit skeptical when I heard we were making a vegan gravy.
What makes it vegan? Luke isn’t one to support things with no meat or dairy products and HE suggested it. I had to see this with my own eyes. Was it going to taste good? Of course, pretty much anything Luke touches will taste incredible. So, why do I doubt.
How do you make the gravy thick? A big question. Simple answer, add cornstarch.
This gravy isn’t a heavy, creamy gravy, like your normal butter, flour and pan drippings gravy. No. This one is a light, silky gravy that you want to take a bath in.
Luke really did it. And, I doubted him. I loved the mushrooms in the sauce. It just makes it so wonderful. Luke wanted a thick gravy, so our sauce had quite a bit of cornstarch.
It was nice and thick when it was freshly made. But, when we reheated it, I had to add a bit of water to make it thinner.
If you add too much cornstarch, it might have a Chinese food quality to it. So, be careful not to keep adding cornstarch.
| Thanksgiving Week: Vegan Mushroom Gravy |
- 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced
- 1 leek top, chopped and washed
- 4 garlic cloves, skin on and crushed
- 1 oz dried Shiitake mushrooms
- 1 tsp salt
- ½ tsp peppercorns
- ½ pound white mushrooms, sliced
- 2 small carrots, chopped
- 6 parsley sprigs, coarsely chipped
- 3 fresh thyme sprigs
- 2 fresh oregano sprigs
- 2 fresh sage leaves
- 2 bay leaves
- 9 cups cold water
- 2 to 2½ Tbsp cornstarch
- 6 mushroom, sliced
- salt and pepper to taste
- ¼ cup white wine
- ½ onion, small dice
- 2 garlic, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh sage, minced
- 2 sprigs fresh oregano, minced
- 2 cups reduced Mushroom Stock (4 cups reduced by half)
- In a large stock pot on medium heat, add just enough water to get onions started. About 1 cup.
- Add onion, leek top, garlic, shiitake mushrooms and salt.
- Stir the vegetables and cover. Cook gently for about 15 minutes.
- Add the remaining ingredients and cover with 9 cups cold water.
- Bring the stock to a boil, then simmer for 1 hour.
- Gently pour the stock through a strainer, pressing vegetables to capture more liquid. Discard the vegetables and the last bit of liquid and sediment in the pot.
- Reserve stock for later use. Freezes well. Stock may be reduced by any amount up to 8:1 to conserve freezer space.
- Mix 2 tablespoons of cornstarch with equal amount water in a small bowl.
- Heat a sauce pot on medium high.
- Add a tablespoon of canola oil.
- Add mushrooms into the pot and cook for 2 minutes
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Add white wine.
- Add onions, garlic and herbs. Mix well.
- Add stock and heat through.
- Add cornstarch mixture.
- Cook until thicken. It still not thick enough mix more water and cornstarch together to make it thicker.
- Season to taste if needed.
- Serve.
- Enjoy!
I think this was the best part of my Thanksgiving dinner. I loved slathering it on everything on my dinner plate.
Hope you enjoy. Make a lot.