An amazing pepper and mushroom gravy that is quick and easy to make, it’s gluten free, it’s vegan and it works with so many different dishes and ingredients.
And this sauce works with fancy and rustic dishes. It’s all about trying to pack as much flavour into the sauce as possible. We do that by infusing the stock with herbs and aromatics, and by sauteing the mushrooms beautifully in the butter or oil.
Only 15 minutes?
Yep, if you don’t muck about, it shouldn’t take long at all. It’s really just a matter of infusing, sauteing, adding a thickener, adding liquid and then simmering for a short while.
So first, we infuse our stock, you don’t have to do this step but it will give any soup or sauce you make a much greater depth of flavour.
So we do this by making a bouquet garni, which is just a bunch of aromatics wrapped in some string. I like to stick the cloves in the garlic and/or ginger.
We then put the bouquet garni in a pot with the stock, bring that stock to a boil, and then let the stock simmer for about 5 minutes.
While that is going on, we saute the mushroom in butter.
Add some flour, which will act as our thickener.
Then we add some red wine and stir it through.
And finally, we add our infused stock, mix it through and then let the sauce simmer for 5-10 minutes. You want the sauce to reduce until it’s nice and thick.
And we finish it off by seasoning the sauce. So as you can see, it really isn’t a complex process, and I truly believe that it’s worth infusing that stock.
Is this recipe healthy?
Overall yes, this sauce isn’t filled with super decadent fats, it just has a touch of butter. So if you wanted to make this recipe extra healthy (and make it vegan), then all you have to do is replace the butter with oil. Olive oil would be the perfect alternative.
What to serve with this gravy
This mushroom gravy goes particularly well with meaty dishes:
- Chicken
And if you want a quality chicken dish, you can check out this amazing tender Cajun chicken Recipe post.
- Turkey
This mushroom gravy would also be incredible with my Brined Turkey Roll with Cranberry Stuffing. Perfect for Christmas dinners and other gatherings.
- Meatballs
- Steak
This Steak with Chimichurri Sauce is also amazing but why not replace the chimichurri with this mushroom gravy!?
- Pork chops
This Curried Pork Sheet Pan Recipe could certainly be upgraded with the mushroom gravy.
- Mashed potatoes
Here is a post showing How to Cook Potatoes using a bunch of different methods, all of which would also be amazing with this amazing mushroom gravy.
Can you freeze mushroom gravy?
You certainly can! I like to store the sauce in a ramekin, then wrap it in clingfilm or you can just store it in a tightly sealed container.
Then when I am ready to re-heat it, I just throw it back in a pot over the stove.
Or, if you don’t think that you’ll use all the sauce that day/night, you can transfer the sauce in an ice-block container, store it in the freezer, then you can take a certain amount and keep the rest in the freezer.
How much pepper should I add?
In order to actually taste the pepper, and to get the spice and aroma of it, you need to be generous with how much you add. Without adding too much of course since we want a nice mild spice, not a throat burner.
However, you’ll get a lot more of that beautiful aroma if you grind your own peppercorns and then add that pepper to the sauce.
Once again, you don’t have to do this but I recommend it.
If you decide to make this pepper and mushroom gravy, let me know how it went in the comments section below! And if you want to subscribe to this blog feel free to do so. Have an amazing day and I will send another post your way soon!
The Best Pepper and Mushroom Gravy Recipe
If you are a fan of mushrooms, then you should definitely make this pepper and mushroom gravy. Perfect for roast dinners!
Ingredients
- 1 clove of garlic peeled
- A few slices of ginger
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2-3 cloves
- 600 mls of vegetable stock
- 1½ teaspoons of peppercorns
- 1 tablespoon of butter or olive oil if you're vegan
- 200 grams of mushrooms of your choice chopped fine
- 1 tablespoon of plain flour or gluten free flour if you're gluten free
- ¼ cup of red wine
- Salt for seasoning
Instructions
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Wrap your garlic clove, ginger and thyme springs tightly in some string, then stick the cloves inside the ginger or the garlic clove.
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Put your vegetable stock and bouquet garni (the wrapped aromatics) in a pot and bring to a boil. As soon as the stock starts boiling, turn the heat down low and gently simmer for about 5 minutes. Then turn the heat off and set aside.
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Meanwhile, put your peppercorns to a pestle mortar and bash until you get a course dust of pepper.
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Pre-heat a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add your butter, then add your mushrooms and fry for a couple of minutes until they develop some nice colour and wilt down.
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Add your flour and stir through.
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Add your red wine and stir through, you should get a paste-like consistency.
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Finally, add your infused stock (discard the bouquet garni), stir through, bring to a boil, turn the heat down low and then let the sauce simmer for about 5-10 minutes.
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Finish by adding your ground pepper and salt to taste, but be careful with the salt and taste as you go. Remember, you can add but you can't take away.
Recipe Notes
- You could make this gravy in advance and then freeze it. You could also store it in ice-cube containers so that you have the sauce ready for multiple dinners.
- If you want to make this sauce creamy, you can add some cream or some sour cream.
- You don't have to infuse the sauce, but I recommend it.
- If you're gluten free, use gluten free flour instead of regular flour.
- If you're vegan, use olive oil instead of butter.
- Be generous with how much pepper you add, and grind your own peppercorns.
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wonderful recipe!
Delicious looking gravy … basic recipes like this should be in every good cook’s repertoire. And so versatile as you can serve it over rice or toss it with noodles. Add meatballs for a heartier dish.