White Bean Gravy

And another morning dawns in my Blogging A Month of Vegan Gravy experiment. Am I tired of the stuff yet? Not a chance!

So, "Bean Gravy".... sounds dreadfully, stereotypically vegan, doesn't it? Actually this stuff is from an old World War II cookbook (I only changed the vegetable broth) and is one of my fall-backs. A "nothing-in-the-cupboard" staple that has filled hungry tummies many times. It's also nice to share with people who think they can't find all those "weird vegan ingredients" but want a recipe anyway. Especially good over whole-wheat toast on a cold winter morning.

White (or Navy) Bean Gravy

1 Tablespoon olive oil or melted margarine
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, pressed
3 Tablespoons (I prefer fresh) thyme and/or sage, chopped fine
Several dashes (or a lot more) fresh black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/3 cup flour
1 fifteen-ounce can white beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 to 1/2 cup water
Salt, to taste (if needed)

Preheat a saucepan over medium-high heat. Sauté the onion and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes. Add the herbs and black pepper and cook for about 3 minutes more. While that is cooking, stir the flour into the broth until dissolved. Add the onion-herb mixture to the broth and whiz in blender, food processor or with an immersion blender.

Mash the beans coarsely with part of the broth mixture, they can be as smooth or as chunky as you like, I prefer some of the beans be almost whole but to have a creamy base to them.
Then add mashed beans (with remaining broth) to the saucepan. Whisk immediately and lower the heat to medium. Simmer (you should see small bubbles) and stir the gravy often for about 10 minutes while it thickens.

Once the gravy thickens, reduce the heat to low. Add water a tablespoon at a time, to make gravy the thickness you prefer.
Cook for about 20 more minutes to let the flavors deepen, stirring occasionally. Add more water as necessary and taste for salt. Keep gravy covered and warm until ready to serve.