Good Gravy
If I could tell people just one thing about going veg, it would be this: Vegetarianism and veganism don’t mean deprivation or “giving up” anything - I’ve become a more adventurous eater and enjoy my food more than ever since moving toward a vegan diet. And even traditional “comfort foods” can be re-created in yummy vegan form.
Take gravy, for example. It doesn’t have to start off with meat “drippings.” When I came across some “tatties and neeps” (mashed potatoes and rutebaga) left over from the recent haggis meal, I thought it would be nice to have some gravy to go with them…. And 15 minutes later, with just a few basic pantry staples, I had it!
Here’s how I made my gravy, following the recipe given in Rose Elliot’s Vegetarian Christmas - a wonderful cookbook - but adding mushrooms to her basic recipe. All you need is:
3 TBSP vegan margarine (Earth Balance is the best!)
3 TBSP whole-wheat flour (Other flours work fine too. Whole-grain spelt flour gave good results.)
2 cups water or vegetable stock
3 TBSP soy sauce
Dried mushrooms, to taste
Pepper, to taste
Put the margarine and flour in a non-stick skillet, and stir over medium heat until the margarine melts and the flour is smoothly incorporated. Let it bubble and cook for a few minutes, stirring often, until the mix browns slightly. (Adjust the heat as needed as you cook to keep it from burning.)
Meanwhile, crumble your dried mushrooms into the 2 cups of water. (This works if you have very thinly sliced dried mushrooms that are easily crumbled by hand and reconstitute quickly - but if you have sturdier dried mushrooms, you may want to soak them ahead of time and chop them before adding to the gravy.)
Once your margarine-flour mix has browned a bit, pour in the water (stand back and be careful, since there’s a chance the hot oil will splatter when you pour in the water). Bring to a simmer, stirring frequently, and cook for about 10 minutes. The mixture will thicken to gravy consistency as it cooks. After 10 minutes, stir in the soy sauce, grind in the pepper, and stir it up. Turn off the heat; your gravy is done….
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