Ultimate vegetarian gravy

Name: Ultimate vegetarian gravy
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h 10 min
Total time: 1 h 15 min
Yield: 6 servings
Ingredients: 5 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 onion; 1 celery; 1 carrot; 0.5 tsp caster sugar; 10 grams dried porcini mushrooms; 4 tbsp plain flour; 150 mls vermouth; 1.5 litre/s vegetable stock; 1 bulb/s garlic; 1 bay leaf; 3 sprig/s thyme; 1 tbsp white miso paste; 15 peppercorns; 0.5 tsp marmite; 1 tbsp blackcurrant preserve

Prep: 5 minsCook: 1 hr 10 mins

Prep

5 mins

Cook

1 hr 10 mins

Servings

Difficulty

Medium

Dairy-FreeVegetarianVeganNut-FreeEgg-Free

(0)

You know how hard it is to find a really satisfying gravy that doesn't rely on meat? I've been making this one for years and it's become my go to for every feast. The secret is layering umami flavours from porcini mushrooms, miso paste, and a touch of Marmite to create something genuinely deep and savoury. Plus, those dried mushrooms are packed with antioxidants and add incredible depth without any fuss. What I love most is how straightforward it actually is, given the complex flavour you end up with. Just 75 minutes and you'll have enough luscious gravy to rival any traditional recipe, all without breaking the bank.

Ella x

Ingredients

Servings:

5 tbspvegetable oil(vegetable or sunflower oil)
1onion((unpeeled), roughly chopped)
1celery(stalk, roughly chopped)
1carrot(roughly chopped)
½ tspcaster sugar
10 gramsdried porcini mushrooms
4 tbspplain flour
150 mlsvermouth((or white wine))
1½ litre/svegetable stock
1 bulb/sgarlic(halved horizontally)
1bay leaf
3 sprig/sthyme
1 tbspwhite miso paste(white miso)
15peppercorns
½ tspmarmite
1 tbspblackcurrant preserve(blackcurrant conserve)

Detail level

Instructions

1
Pour 2 tbsp oil into a large saucepan and set over a medium-high heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and sugar; fry, stirring, for 10 minutes until very golden and starting to soften. Stir in the mushrooms and fry for a further 3 minutes until softened, then add the remaining 3 tbsp oil and the flour. Stir until the oil and flour form a smooth paste around the vegetables, then leave to cook for 2 minutes.
2
Add the vermouth (or white wine) to the pan, scraping the base of the pan with a wooden spoon, then add the rest of the ingredients except the blackcurrant conserve. Bring to the boil, then lower the heat and simmer the gravy for 40 minutes. Stir the conserve into the pan, cook for 2 minutes, then carefully strain through a fine sieve into a saucepan. Season and keep warm until you are ready to serve. If you would like the gravy to be thicker, simmer for a further 5 minutes, or until thickened to your liking.

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