Mushroom Red Wine Sauce

OK. If you haven't been following along, October is "Vegan Mofo" and I'm blogging about gravy all month. Blah-blah-bah. I'm not going to introduce this every time now.

You all get the idea, and if you want something besides gravy you'll have to peruse the other completely FABULOUS blogs.

Anyway. Gravy. Day 5.

Now it's time to get down to some of my favorite gravy-recipe variations.

Wait.

I take that back.

Anything (vegan) with the word "gravy" is my favorite.

No, seriously, this really is one of my favorites, and it's perfect when you want to be all fancy and grown-up and serve something "special" for dinner.

Mushrooms and red wine, made into a gravy-sauce thing.

Best recipe ever.

Or at least as good as the other 50 or so gravy recipes I have.

This is delicious over roasted veggies, potatoes, lentil loaf, chick-pea cutlets or any "beefy" flavored seitan-gluten type thing.

Or, not that I would know, but it might even be edible eaten plain, standing in front of the 'fridge at midnight when you're craving something mushroomy and salty and good.

Anyway. I digress.

This recipe is fairly easy, but you do have to simmer (or "reduce") until the liquids evaporate several times, so it takes a few minutes.

Mushroom Red Wine Sauce

• 1 pound of fresh mushrooms, sliced (anything works, but a mix of oyster, cremini, shiitake, etc. will give a richer flavor)
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 2 tablespoons margarine
• 1/2 a medium onion, chopped fine
• 1 Tablespoon soy sauce, or 1 tsp. Marmite stirred into 1 Tbsp. hot water
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 Tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 1/2 cups cold water
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar
• OPTIONAL: 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh rosemary
• OPTIONAL: 2 Tablespoons fine chopped fresh parsley

Melt margarine in cast iron skillet.

Cook the garlic in margarine over moderately low heat, stirring, until barely translucent/starting to cook.

Add onion and cook, stirring, until softened.

Add mushrooms and soy sauce and turn up the heat and sauté everything over medium, stirring, until mushrooms give off liquid and it evaporates.

This will take a few minutes, so don't get bored and run off to watch Glee, watch your pan closely.

Once the mushrooms are starting to brown, add wine and vinegar and boil down until liquid is thick and syrupy.

Stir cornstarch/water mixture and sugar (and rosemary, if using) into mixture in skillet and, once again, you guessed it, bring mixture to a boil, stirring, and simmer 2 (or so) minutes until it thickens.

Remove from heat.

Stir in parsley, and season with salt and pepper if you think it needs it.