How to Prepare Low-Fat Mushroom Gravy

Gravy seems to be the national beverage. Considering it's composition of grease, white flour and butter roux, the velvety sauce can certainly gum up the plumbing and set the stage for a cardiac event. You can continue eating your mashed potatoes with this deeply flavored gravy that could fool even the most avid gravy aficionado.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Soup Pot
• Whisk
• Wooden spoon
• 4 tablespoons Virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped fine
• 1 carrot, chopped fine
• 1 stalk of celery, chopped fine
• 2 cups mushrooms, washed and sliced
• 1 Bay leaf
• 6 cups of organic vegetable stock
• 1 can organic tomato paste
• 1/4 cup mushroom soy sauce
• Cornstarch slurry

1. In a non-reactive sauce pan, warm the oil over medium heat. Add the celery, carrots, onion, bay leaf and mushrooms. Saute for 3 minutes stirring occasionally.

2. Add the vegetable stock, tomato paste, mushrooms and red wine. Bring it to a boil and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare a cornstarch slurry of equal parts water to cornstarch. Mix well.

3. Add the slurry to the simmering liquid a little at a time to thicken.
   Whisk constantly at first, then use a wooden spoon to reach the corners of the pot. Add liquid slurry as desired until gravy reaches desired consistency. You will end up loving the mushroom soy sauce. It darkens sauces in the same fashion as Gravy Master, but has a much deeper mushroom flavor.

Tips & Warnings

• Use brandy instead of red wine for a different flavor.
• Use shiitake instead of regular mushrooms for more exotic and healthful sauce.
• If you use shiitake, discard the stem and slice them thinly.
• After you thicken the gravy with corn starch, do not continue to boil. The cornstarch will eventually break down.
• If you make mashed potatoes, you might consider backing off on the butter and cream or you will defeat the purpose of a relatively low fat sauce.
• Don't use red cooking wine. It taste horrible and is loaded with sodium.
• Use a dry red wine, not a sweet one.