Tom's a huge gravy fan and his vegetarian Christmas version is up there with the very best! Roasted veg, herbs, red wine, dried mushrooms and miso combine to deliver an incredible depth of flavour. Get ahead by making it on Christmas Eve so the flavours have plenty of time to develop.
Ingredients
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 180C fan.
Step 2
Put the onions, leek, carrots, and celery into a large non-stick roasting tin. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place the roasting tin on a high shelf in the oven for an hour or until all the vegetables are nicely roasted.
Step 3
Meanwhile, place the dried mushrooms in a large heatproof jug and pour 500ml of boiling water over them. Set aside and leave them to rehydrate whilst the vegetables are roasting.
Step 4
Remove the vegetables from the oven and place the roasting tin on the hob, over a medium heat. Add the tomato puree and stir well for 2-3 minutes before adding the flour. Stir again for another couple of minutes then add the red wine. Let it bubble away and reduce by half before adding the herbs, the rehydrated mushrooms together with their soaking liquid, and the vegetable stock.
Step 5
Bring the mixture up to the boil and then reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the white miso paste and leave to simmer gently for 25 minutes. Give it a little stir now and then to make sure nothing is sticking. Finally pass the mixture through a coarse sieve, making sure to push all the flavour out with the back of a ladle or spoon.
Step 6
Taste the gravy and add some seasoning if needed. Leave it to cool then put it in the fridge overnight. When ready to serve, pour it into a saucepan, bring it back up to a simmer and cook gently for 8-10 minutes.
