As a result of being at home during the coronavirus lock down, sometimes a warm buttery biscuit and gravy is just what you need to complete your night curling up on the couch and watching your favorite show.
The challenge: Appease a meat eater and Southern biscuit aficionado as well as keeping the meal lighter and healthier than your normal Southern fare. Disclaimer: I did make two different "gravy" recipes in order to get rid of the sausage that was about to expire. Choose the one that appeals to you best or make both if you want to try them; or if you have two different eaters, like me, in your house!
Vegan (and gf) Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy
When I mentioned that I was going to make a mushroom gravy, I asked about a preference over rice (and I might as well make a mushroom risotto) or with biscuits. Clearly it was not a question worth asking ... the Southern gentlemen did not bat an eye when he said he wanted biscuits. So here is the recipe for when, you too, feel like comfort food without too much guilt. Serve as is or with a side of grilled veggies.
And, as always, if you make any creative flavor changes or try different ingredients, let me know how it turned out!
How to Make Southern Biscuits and Mushroom Gravy (V,GF, if you choose)
Prep Time: 30 MINS
Cook Time: 45 MINS
Total Time: 75 MINS
Biscuit Ingredients: (makes about eight 2 1/2 inch biscuits)
2 cups all-purpose flour or GF all-purpose flour (Bob's Red Mill)
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted vegan butter (we like Miyoko's Kitchen best or Earth Balance Soy Free)
3/4 cup cold almond "buttermilk"
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Mushroom Gravy Ingredients:
EVOO
1 yellow onion, diced
3-5 cloves garlic, finely diced
4 cups crimini mushrooms, thinly sliced
1/2 cup vegetable broth + more for desired consistency
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons thyme
Optional Sausage Version:
* can also substitute vegan meat versions for below
1 pound sausage (for meat eaters, Applegate Farms or al fresco is a family favorite)
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons almond flour
1/4 cup original (not flavored) nut milk or vegetable broth + more, for desired consistency
salt and pepper to taste
2 teaspoons thyme
For topping, freshly grated Parmesan
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 450F. Get a baking sheet and cover with parchment paper.
To make the "buttermilk" - measure 3/4 cup of nut milk of your choice and add 1 tablespoon ACV, place in the fridge for at least 10 minutes.
Dice the butter and place back into the fridge to keep cold until ready to use.
While the oven is preheating, get the gravy started. Place a medium pot on the stove with a generous pour of EVOO and begin to warm over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, dice the onion and mince the garlic. Once warm, saute the onion and garlic until translucent and fragrant. Add vegetable broth if the pan seems dry and so you can work on other projects and not worry about the onions burning.
Slice the mushrooms. Wait to add until the onion and garlic is fully sauteed (until the onion and garlic are translucent and fragrant). It takes a while to cook down mushrooms, so time this accordingly. Budget at least 25-30 minutes. Again, add vegetable broth as needed.
In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Gently mix to combine. With a fork (or pastry cutter, if you are fancy), slowly add the cubes of butter into the flour mixture and cut the butter to blend until the butter is no larger than a pea.
Add the "buttermilk" to the butter and flour mixture until it forms a shaggy dough. Remove from the bowl onto a floured surface and knead a few times in order to get the remaining bits of flour or remaining bits that may be stuck to the bowl incorporated into the dough. Be careful to not overwork and melt the butter.
Flatten out the dough until it is 3/4 inch thick. Using a dough scrapper, cut the dough in half and stack on top. Re-flatten the dough to 3/4 inch thick and cut the dough in half again and stack one layer on top of the other. Repeat the last step at least 4 times. This process will create the fluffy, buttery layers of the biscuit.
Once the layers are complete, flatten the dough back out to 3/4 inch thick and use a biscuit cutter or smooth rimmed glass to cut the biscuits into desired diameter. I like to use a mason jar (wide-mouth or not) or a normal glass. Place the cut biscuits on a baking sheet at least two inches apart from one another. Chill for 5-10 minutes.
While the biscuits chill - not a necessary step but helps the butter from melting and loosing the layers while baking - got back to the gravy. Begin by heating up a cast iron or pan for the sausage. Once heated, place spoon-sized chunks of the sausage onto the pan, let brown for 5-7 minutes and then wait to flip. Once cooked, remove from the pan and place on a paper towel to catch the excess grease.
In the sausage pan, melt the butter. Add the almond flour and whisk until it resembles wet sand. Once combined, slowly add the milk or vegetable broth and whisk to avoid clumps. This is a very important step to not burn, so keep whisking! Once a desired thickness, turn the heat down to low.
Check the mushrooms. Add more vegetable broth, if drying out too quickly and stir.
Place the biscuits into the oven. Bake for 12-15 minutes (depending on the oven) until the biscuits are golden brown. I start with 10 minutes and vary from there.
To the mushroom gravy, add nutritional yeast and vegetable broth until desired consistency is reached. If too loose, add more nutritional yeast; or if too thick, more broth. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste and thyme. Cook for another 5 minutes.
To the sausage gravy, add the sausage back into the sauce. Add salt and pepper to taste as well as thyme. Cook for another 5 minutes for the flavors to meld. Scoop some of the mushroom broth into the sausage gravy. I split in half for this step, so I could have just mushroom gravy.
Once the biscuits are out of the oven, place a few in a bowl and scoop over the gravy of your choice. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan (vegan or not) and fresh thyme. Enjoy!
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