Deep-Umami Vegetarian Mushroom Gravy

By Sprig Originals ✓ · cooked up in Sprig

A drippings-free gravy with all the savoury weight of the roast-pan version. Dried porcini make a nearly black, concentrated broth; hard-seared cremini give browned edges and chew; tomato paste and a little miso push the whole thing into meaty territory. A proper toasted roux gives it that glossy, spoon-coating body, so it clings to mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, biscuits or a nut roast instead of sliding off.

Ingredients

• 1/2 oz dried porcini mushrooms
• 2 cups boiling water
• 2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 10 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced 1/4 inch thick
• 4 tbsp unsalted butter (or vegan butter)
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (or 3/4 tsp dried)
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
• 2 tsp white miso paste (or 1 tsp Marmite)
• 1 tsp sherry vinegar
• 3/4 tsp freshly cracked black pepper
• kosher salt, to taste
• 2 tbsp heavy cream or unsweetened oat cream (optional)

Instructions

1. Put the dried porcini in a heatproof bowl or measuring cup and pour over the 2 cups boiling water. Cover with a plate and steep 20 minutes, until the mushrooms are fully soft and the liquid is deep brown.
2. Lift the porcini out with a fork, squeezing them over the bowl. Chop them finely and set aside. Pour the soaking liquid through a fine-mesh strainer lined with a paper towel or coffee filter into a second bowl, leaving the last tablespoon of gritty liquid behind. Add the vegetable broth to the strained porcini liquid; you should have about 4 cups. Keep it nearby.
3. Heat the olive oil in a wide 12-inch skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high until it shimmers. Add the sliced cremini in an even layer and leave them completely undisturbed for 4 to 5 minutes, until the undersides are deeply browned. Stir and cook another 4 to 5 minutes, until the pan is dry and the mushrooms are shrunken and well browned all over. Season with a pinch of salt.
4. Reduce the heat to medium and add the butter. When it melts, add the diced onion and cook 6 to 7 minutes, stirring often, until soft and lightly golden at the edges. Add the garlic, chopped porcini, thyme and bay leaf and cook 1 minute more, until fragrant.
5. Push everything to one side, add the tomato paste to the bare spot and fry it for 60 to 90 seconds, stirring, until it darkens from bright red to brick.
6. Sprinkle the flour over the pan and stir constantly for 2 to 3 minutes. The mixture will look like clumpy wet sand and should smell toasty, not raw. Do not let it scorch; drop the heat if it starts to catch.
7. Pour in about 1 cup of the warm porcini broth and whisk or stir hard until the paste smooths out completely. Add the remaining broth in two more additions, stirring smooth each time. Stir in the soy sauce.
8. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook 12 to 15 minutes, stirring every couple of minutes and scraping the bottom, until the gravy coats the back of a spoon and leaves a clear track when you draw a finger through it. It will thicken a little more off the heat.
9. Take the pan off the heat and fish out the bay leaf. Whisk the miso with 2 tablespoons of the hot gravy in a small bowl until smooth, then stir it back in (adding miso off the heat keeps its flavour bright). Stir in the sherry vinegar, black pepper and the cream if using.
10. Taste and season with salt in small pinches — the soy, miso and broth already carry salt, so go slowly. Serve hot. If it tightens up while sitting, loosen with a splash of hot water or broth and stir over low heat for a minute.

Chef's tips

Nutrition (per serving, estimated)

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