Universal Gravy
Roast the sliced vegetables til they achieve a dark colour as this will result in a deeply flavoured demi-glaze. Select a wide array of vegetables for a balanced flavour but avoid too many watery varieties such as zucchini, capsicum and celery.
Keep garlic to a minimum lest it overpower the resultant flavour and the same for beetroot lest its colour dominate. Taste and tweak the flavour as you reduce the volume with salt, pepper, acid etc.
ingredients
- carrots
- onions or other alliums
- mushrooms
- broccoli
- beetroot (but not too much)
- tomato paste (1-2 tbsp)
- olive oil
- kombu
- dried mushrooms such as porcini
- arrowroot starch
Thinly slice all the vegetables and add them to a large deep roasting pan. Rub tomato paste and oil all over the vegetables so they’re well covered.
Roast this at 150 degrees Celsius for 45-60 minutes or until dark in colour. Some charred edges are perfectly fine and in fact will add appetising flavour notes to the stock.
Cover with water, add the kombu and cook for a further 40 minutes.
Strain the liquid into a saucepan and reduce heavily until it tastes just as you want it to. Skim the surface in the first part of the reduction for a cleaner end product. When reduced sufficiently, season with salt and pepper to taste.
If you wish to thicken the demi-glaze, add a slurry of arrowroot starch and water and stir over heat until smooth. I think this is preferable for appearance as well as mouthfeel.
