Wild Mushroom Gravy

[Guest guest]

Hello Everyone!

 

Jane's request for a way to spice up her Vegetarian Hash inspired (!!!) me to share my recipe for wild mushroom gravy. Because one of my hobbies is " hunting " for wild mushrooms, I invented this recipe several years ago and, while it's not strictly vegetarian (I usually use beef broth), I'm sure vegetable broth or miso could be substituted instead. You may need to adjust seasonings if you're concerned about your salt intake, especially if you're using miso.

 

(Before I forget, store-bought mushrooms work just as well in this recipe especially if they're " older " mushrooms, i.e. the ones that are turning slightly brown and are sold at a much lower price.)

 

~~~~~~~~~~

 

About 1/4 pound mushrooms, cleaned and sliced

1 Tbsp. butter

2 Tbsp. olive oil

(Or 3 Tbsp. olive oil if you don't want to use butter)

1 14 1/2 oz. can beef or vegetable broth, divided

2 tsp. cornstarch

Onion powder to taste

Soy sauce to taste

Fresh or dried basil (optional)

 

Melt butter in skillet over medium heat; add olive oil, and warm until mixture shimmers. Add cleaned and sliced mushrooms and saute, stirring frequently, until mushrooms soften and give up their juices.

 

Meanwhile, pour about 1/4 cup of broth into a small bowl and whisk in cornstarch. Set aside.

 

Pour about half of the remaining broth into the skillet and bring to a slow simmer. Sprinkle in onion powder to taste (Start with a small amount -- you can always add more just before serving!) then your favorite soy sauce to taste. Again, start with a small amount and taste, taste, and taste again until you get the flavor you want.

 

At this point, I usually sprinkle in a good-sized pinch of dried basil. For some reason, I think basil and mushrooms go very well together; but if you're not a basil fan that's OK -- garlic's good too! In fact, depending on the soy sauce I use (as I said in an earlier post, " Golden Mountain Flavor Sauce " is my absolute favorite and it has a " garlic " taste to it) I sometimes saute minced garlic with the mushrooms at the beginning of the recipe.

 

Garlic goes with everything, non??

 

Finally, when the mixture is simmering. whisk in the reserved cornstarch/broth mixture and continue to whisk until the sauce arrives at the desired consistency. Add some freshly-ground pepper and voila!

 

Troubleshooting:

 

If the gravy's too thick, add a bit of water or additional broth. If it's too thin, make up a roux and whisk some of THAT in, a little at a time until you're happy with the consistency. (FYI: " roux " is equal parts softened butter and flour blended together with a fork. As a precautionary measure, when I'm trying a new recipe and I know something needs to be thickened, I blend 2 Tbsp. softened butter with 2 Tbsp. flour and keep it nearby. It's a GREAT recipe lifesaver, and if I don't need it I don't feel terribly guilty when I throw it out!)

 

Enjoy!

 

Yvette

[Guest guest]

At 11:08 PM 7/21/02 -0400, you wrote:

>Hello Everyone!

>

>Jane's request for a way to spice up her Vegetarian Hash inspired (!!!) me

>to share my recipe for wild mushroom gravy. Because one of my hobbies is

> " hunting " for wild mushrooms, I invented this recipe several years ago

>and, while it's not strictly vegetarian (I usually use beef broth), I'm

>sure vegetable broth or miso could be used instead.

 

May I suggest mushroom broth? Its flavour is strong enough to " equal " beef

stock, and it will emphasize the mushrooms in the gravy.

 

Katy, who wishes she cooked for less mushroom haters...

[Guest guest]

Where do you buy mushroom broth, Katy?

 

Melinda

[Guest guest]

At 09:04 AM 7/27/02 +0000, you wrote:

>Where do you buy mushroom broth, Katy?

 

I don't. I make the occasional batch. Saute some mushrooms and maybe an

onion and whatever other odds and ends are around, season as desired, then

add water and simmer like a usual stock. (Yes, I do consider this to be

" quick " --it takes maybe 15 minutes actual work and only has to be done once

every few months! Easier than loading my kids into the car to go to the

grocery store...) Oh--storage trick--I always freeze half my batch in

yogurt cups (1 c. serving) and half in ice cube trays (put into freezer

bags when hardened.) This way I have bigger servings for say, a soup, and

smaller servings for sauteing or adding to recipes.

 

Of course, there are mushroom broths available commercially. Pacific's

even claims to be organic. http://www.truefoodsmarket.com/musbrot32ozb.html

 

This matzoh ball soup recipe explains it better than I did:

http://www.minutemeals.com/pages/passover/soup.htm

 

And Mushroom Wellington sounds way too good, though not quick:

http://www.eggswerks.com/agsworldservice/food/recipes.html

 

HTH,

Katy

[Guest guest]

, " iris054 " <clicker@i...> wrote:

> Where do you buy mushroom broth, Katy?

>

> Melinda

 

In the Seattle area most of the grocery stores carry it. (As do the

stores that carry everything--clothes, food, etc. like Fred Meyers.)

It comes in square-sided, quart/liter, cardboardy package, non-

refrigerated section. But do refrigerate after openning and watch

the expiration date. It has been a few months since I got any and I

cannot remember the brand name. One store carried it in the health

food section, another in the canned vegetable section. The soup

section would make sense but I don't remember ever seeing it

there.

Max

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Katy! I appreciate the tips.

 

Melinda

[Guest guest]

Thanks, Max. I'm going to be near a Fred Meyer soon, so I'll look

for it. Sounds like after opening it could be frozen?

 

Melinda