Veg Biscuits and Gravy

I had forgotten how deliciously divine biscuits and gravy can be. Now I came to this dish late in life, as a vegetarian, I never really got lard biscuits and sausage gravy, until a dietitian friend of mine made biscuits and vegetarian soysage gravy. Then I got the whole appeal of biscuits and gravy. I got the recipe from her, and have never looked back.

When a friend of mine posted this on FB the other day, I couldn't help but look, and it was a good thing it was in the morning, because this made an excellent brunch. I watched the video instructions and quickly got to work. If you don't have buttermilk, thin some yogurt with water, or add 1 tsp to 1 cup milk; as for all-purpose, you could use pastry whole wheat flour, but any healthier and you'll end up with tough biscuits. 

Here's the video link from Food Wishes; the ingredients are listed below the video on the site, but I'll add them here as well:

Biscuits (video and recipe here) 

Yield: 12 plus extra cut outs

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 tsp salt (I would recommend half a tsp if you use salted butter, they turned out too salty for me)

7 tbsp cold butter, cut into thin chunks or slices, chilled in freezer

3/4 cup buttermilk (I used a little bit extra)

When ready to bake, set biscuits on a ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 425 °F (218 °C) for 15 minutes or until golden on top.

Mushroom and Chickpea Gravy

Serves 4

1 cup whole mushrooms, such as white button, wiped clean

oil or butter to saute mushrooms

white wine vinegar

2 tbsp butter

2 tbsp flour

2 cups milk

(basic white roux ratio: 1 tbsp butter: 1 tbsp flour: 1 cup milk)

salt and pepper to taste

1 tsp oregano (optional)

1/2 cup cooked chickpeas (optional)

Note: For a plain white gravy, omit mushrooms and chickpeas, and season with salt and pepper; for soysage gravy, heat up some veggie soysage and crumble them in right before serving.

Directions:

1. In a wide skillet, heat up a little oil or butter for the mushrooms. Medium-high is good. Add in the mushrooms whole and stir around. Continue to cook on medium-high heat until water/moisture starts releasing from the mushrooms (5-7 minutes). Turn heat to medium. Continue cooking for 5 more minutes. Drizzle 1 tsp or so white wine vinegar on top and stir around to make a nice sizzling sound (it will look impressive for brunch) then turn the heat off, and allow mushrooms to cool.
2. In a medium sauce pan, melt 2 tbsp butter over medium heat. Now, take a whisk and start stirring. Slowly add the flour to the pan while simultaneously whisking. This will ensure that no lumps form. Keep whisking. Now, if using all-purpose flour the mixture will darken slightly, and give off a cooked pleasant smell. Once this happens, pour in the milk slowly, while whisking.
3. Making gravy is simple, it just requires patience and attention. Keep whisking! This movement will keep flour from sticking to the bottom, and will prevent the sheeny skin (in Guju, malai) that hot or boiled milk gets when heated and allowed to cool. Whisk another 10 or 20 minutes, or until thickened. Yep, keep whisking.
4. At this point season with salt and pepper, if serving a simple gravy it's ready. If adding mushrooms and chickpeas, chop the mushrooms coarsely and add them to the pan, along with 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas. To make a soysage gravy just add cooked soysage crumbles to the white gravy.
5. Serve over or alongside biscuits. Eet smakelijk!