How’s your October going???
Have you tucked into something…I don’t know…gravey-ish yet? ??
Here in Canada, Thanksgiving has come and gone and i’m still thinking about that shotgun mushroom gravy I whisked up moments before go-time.
My potatoes were goooood. They had roasted garlic for goodness sakes. I may have also spent 7+ minutes browning 1/2 a pound of butter to go into the mix as well.
But I knew I needed more.
I knew I needed gravy.
Because sitting down to a table of 20+ folks with a turkey centrepiece, beautifully strewn faux leaves and ceramic pumpkins doesn’t feel right without some brown slop pooling at the sides of your plate. (yes I just called it slop…delicious slop)
As with most things shotgun in the kitchen, there were faults, missing ingredients and cracks in the setup that make you think ‘how can we optimize this mushroom gravy-making process’.
Exhibit A: Miso paste. While seemingly an odd choice for a typical gravy mix-in, it adds the depth and umami note we seriously need when removing the beef.
As for the rest of what we have here, (while nothing seems as important after discussing gravy) savoury buckwheat is a really satisfying, high-protein alternative to rice that really punches up the nutrition (which is why you’re reading a post about gravy right…nutrition ?)
I soaked the buckwheat the night before which improves the digestibility of the seed, and makes it a snap to cook. (Just in case you’re into that stuff)
Any warm grain or even starchy vegetable would work in this case (I won’t be mad if you sub garlicky mashed potatoes)
The glorious heirloom carrots bring their earthiness and a welcome brightness to the dish- and look pretty darn good doing it!
- -Savoury Buckwheat-
- 1 cup raw buckwheat
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- sea salt
- 1 small yellow onion, diced
- -Miso Mushroom Gravy-
- 2 portobello mushrooms, gills removed, sliced in 1/4 inch pieces
- 1 cup cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 1 1/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1 1/2 tbsp yellow miso paste
- 1 1/2 tbsp tamari
- 1 tbsp potato starch/corn starch
- 2 tbsp red wine (optional but lovely)
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- -Roasted Heirloom Carrots-
- 1 bunch heirloom or regular carrots, stems chopped off
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
- sea salt
- Roast the carrots: Preheat the oven to 425 F. To a large baking sheet, add heirloom carrots and massage with coconut oil. Sprinkle with salt and bake with 30 minutes, or until tender and golden brown.
- Cook the buckwheat: Add onions and coconut oil to a medium pot over medium heat. Cook for 4 minutes, until aromatic and a little shiny. Next add buckwheat, 1 3/4 cups of water and salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and let simmer for 12 minutes or until tender. Drain any remaining excess water.
- Make the miso mushroom gravy: To a large skillet, melt 1 tbsp olive oil on medium heat and swirl to coat pan. Add garlic and cook for 3 minutes, careful not to burn. Add in chopped portobello and cremini mushrooms. Cook mushrooms for 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are brown and shrunken and glistening.
- Meanwhile whisk the vegetable broth, miso paste, tamari, red wine and corn starch in a medium bowl. Once 12 minutes is up, add vegetable broth mixture into mushrooms and simmer for 5 minutes, until slightly thickened. Season with extra black pepper to taste.
- Serve roasted carrots on a bed of warm buckwheat. Spoon the mushroom gravy on top!
Sarah | Well and Full says
Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!! Ours is coming up next month (wait… THIS month…. how is it November ALREADY!?) and this mushroom gravy is giving me so much inspiration for my holiday menu!! ๐
Meredith says
I am so excited for you guys (And jealous you have a round of pies to look forward to) I hope you smother this stuff errrwhere! Thanks Sarah!
Kate says
Hi Meredith!
Nice blog! This recipe is perfect, It has mushroom my favorite!!!, I am really excited to try this. I haven’t really tried cooking buckwheat but will give this a chance! How much did the ingredients cost?
Thanks for sharing
Meredith | Earth & Oven says
Hi Kate! Thanks so much. The buckwheat is a very inexpensive ‘grain’. Probably comparable or cheaper to brown rice! The most expensive item is probably the portobello mushrooms, which in Toronto are about $1 a piece. Overall a very budget-friendly meal though! Hope you give it a try ๐