San Diego Reader

This is a tasty vegetarian sauce to use on any vegetables, especially potatoes. Great as a classic gravy for stuffing, and meat-eaters will lap it up! Don't omit the miso, as it adds a rich, complex layer of flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 tbl extra virgin olive or canola oil
• 1 cup rehydrated dried gourmet mushrooms, including or all porcini
• ½ cup finely chopped onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• ¼ cup good dry red wine
• 2 cups cups veg stock, or one cup stock and one cup mushroom soaking water
• 1 tbl red miso
• 1 tbl sweet or mellow white miso
• 2 tsps minced rosemary, or to taste

Instructions

1. In a medium skillet, heat the oil over med high heat. Saute the rehydrated mushrooms, onion, and garlic until the mushrooms give up their liquid, about five minutes.

2. Add the red wine to the pan and cook until most of the liquid in the pan has evaporated and the mushroom mixture is just moist.

3. Pour in the stock and add rosemary. Boil gently until the liquid is reduced by half. Remove the pot from the heat.

4. In a small bowl, blend the two misos with 2 tb. of hot liquid spooned from the pan. Stir this miso mixture into the mushroom mixture. Strain the gravy, reserving the mushrooms to serve as a side dish, or use the gravy with the mushrooms in it, if you like.

Note: If you have on hand soaking liquid left from porcini mushrooms, use it in place of up to one cup of the stock.

Serve with root vegetables and stuffing.

Added Friday, Aug. 28, 2009