I have never been a huge ” sauce” person but I learned very quickly when my boyfriend and I first went plant-based that he NEEDED sauce. Personally, I love a good salad with a light dressing but serve Charlie a pile of kale massaged with only olive oil? Nope, not gonna happen!
It turns out that when he would crave meat, it was never the actual meat he wanted, but rather the flavouring or sauce he was craving. (There are very few people that I think could eat a boiled piece of chicken without any seasoning or sauce and say they genuinely enjoyed it!)
So, it was determined that every dish that was going to replace previously meat-centred meals – meatballs, roasts or even stir-fries — was going to require a decent sauce to win him over!
Luckily, vegan gravy is super simple and it tastes JUST as good as any “normal” gravy. (And just between you and me, I have been making this vegan alternative for Charlie and his family long before he turned in his chicken breast for a slice of nut roast -click here for the recipe!)
vegan gravy
Equipment
- high-speed blender or food processor
Ingredients
- 50 grams yellow onion minced
- 4 grams garlic minced
- 40 grams celery chopped
- 25 grams parsnip grated
- 40 grams mushrooms chopped (optional)
- 75 grams carrots grated
- 15 grams soy sauce
- 56 grams vegan butter
- 34 grams flour
- 710 ml vegetable broth
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add all of the vegetables into a small saucepan with 2 tablespoon olive oil (or 3 tablespoons water if avoiding oil) and simmer over medium/ low heat for 15-20 minutes or longer if you have more time to let the flavours meld and the vegetables to cook down.
- Pour the vegetables into a blender with 1 cup of vegetable stock and blend until smooth.
- Meanwhile, add the butter to a pot and heat at medium heat until melted.
- Add the flour and whisk vigorously for two minutes until the butter becomes brown and flour tastes a bit nutty.
- Slowly add in the remaining vegetable broth, whisking continuously.
- Gravy should be slightly thin (not to desired texture of gravy – if it is already pretty thick, add some more broth). Then add in the purréed vegetables and soy sauce slowly and continue to stir and simmer until desired consistency.
- Season with salt and pepper.
- Serve over vegan nut roast and vegetables.
