Recipe #33 - Wild Mushroom "Ragout" Gravy

We're not big fans of what most people think of as "gravy." But we ARE big fans of mushrooms, and if you use the word sauce instead of gravy, we're there. We're calling it gravy right now because this was Thanksgiving week. We hosted a big dinner for Thanksgiving and decided to make this tasty mushroom gravy to satisfy everyone, including the vegetarians in the crowd.

2 oz. dried wild mushrooms (porcini or morel preferred, but any dried wild mushroom will work here)
Hot water to cover

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
3 medium shallots, peeled and finely chopped
5 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1/2 lb. fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, shiitakes, porcinis, portobellos, oyster, morels, preferably several kinds mixed), coarsely chopped
1 Tbsp. flour
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
1.5 cups rich vegetable broth
2 tsp. fresh minced thyme
2 Tbsp. fresh minced parsley
1 tsp. fresh minced rosemary
1/4 cup heavy cream
Salt & pepper to taste

Put the dried mushrooms in a bowl and cover with hot water. Allow to soften for at least 20 minutes. Drain and reserve the liquid. Coarsely chop the softened mushrooms.

Heat the butter in a saucepan and add the shallots and garlic. Cook until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Add the fresh mushrooms and cook for about 10 more minutes, until the mushrooms have softened and released their juices. Add the flour and stir to incorporate.

Add the dried mushrooms, reserved soaking liquid, wine, soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce and cook for a few minutes. Add the vegetable broth and herbs and simmer for up to 30 minutes.

Put about 1/2 the mushrooms and sauce to a blender or food processor and allow to cool for a few minutes. Puree until smooth and add back into the sauce pan with the gravy. Add the cream and season with salt and pepper to taste.

We served this with walnut cheddar loaf (for the vegetarians) and roast turkey (for the meat-eaters).