Vegan Vegetable Gravy

If you need homemade vegetable gravy, this recipe is pretty simple and goes nicely with roasts, pies, mash and other gravy-loving dishes.  

Ingredients (serves 4) 

• Splash of olive oil 
• 2 large carrots, diced
• 2 sticks of celery, diced
• 1 medium red onion, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, crushed or minced
• 1 teaspoon of dried thyme
• 1 tablespoon of maple syrup, agave, or sugar
• 2-3 teaspoons of yeast extract - add according to your preference
• 2 tablespoons of plain flour (if you have an allergy, corn flour, gram flour or your preferred flour for thickening will do)
• 3 tablespoons of red wine (or you can use 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar)
• 2 teaspoons of vegetable bouillon powder
• 2 teaspoons of tomato paste or puree (or ketchup in a pinch)
• 900ml of cold water

Recipe

1. Heat the oil in a large flat-bottomed pan, then add the celery, onion, and carrots
2. Once the veg has started to soften, add the garlic, turning the heat to medium
3. Once the garlic is beginning to cook, but before it goes brown, add the maple syrup/sugar and stir, ensuring all ingredients are well coated
4. Allow to simmer for a minute or so, until the vegetables begin to caramelise 
5. Add the yeast extract and mix again to ensure even coating 
6. If at any point you find the pan is browning, add a small splash of water to prevent burning
7. Add the flour & vegetable bouillon, stir to make sure everything is coated evenly 
8. Add the wine or balsamic vinegar and mix well
9. Once the wine/vinegar has heated up, add the water, stirring continually as you do
10. Bring to the boil, stirring regularly
11. Stir in the tomato puree
12. Allow to simmer for 15 minutes or so, until the mixture thickens and the gravy reduces to your desired consistency 
13. Once you've achieved your desired consistency and flavour, sieve into a fresh pan and warm just before you serve the remainder of your meal 

Tips

• If you don't have yeast extract, you can try substituting with nutritional yeast and/or soy sauce
• For a bit of variety, try adding different herbs, such as sage, or bay leaves 
• Try adding mushrooms or a little chopped beetroot when you're adding the veg for a slightly more earthy flavour, the beetroot also gives the gravy a lovely deep colour to it
• If you want to get all the flavour when sieving, feel free to pour a little freshly boiled water over the remaining mixture, then reduce down as needed