Mushroom gravy is one of my favorites.
1lb of mushrooms
1 onion
2-3 stalks of celery
1/4 c to 1/2 c oil/butter
about a cup of flour
bullion soup base according to the recipe on the box
black pepper & salt to taste
(optional) nutritional yeast
Chop the mushrooms into small/medium sized pieces.
Boil mushrooms, onions, and celery in enough water to cover them.
Add in a proportional amount of bullion (soup base) to match the water as if you were making a broth.
After it has boiled and the veggies are cooked, start making a big roux. If you don't know how to do this, don't worry. Just watch a youtube video on it and you should be fine.
Essentially you add a lot of fat to a pan, heat it up, and then slowly add flour and mix constantly until you get solid-ish chunks.
Add the hot mushrooms and veggies and broth into the pan with the roux, If you don't have enough space just add some of the broth. (OPTIONAL: if you have a good blender that can handle hot liquids, at this point you could blend half of the mushrooms and broth to a smooth creamy consistency)
Stir like mad!! you don't want any lumps. You surely will get some but don't stress too much about it.
After everything is combined together it will probably seem a bit thin. Don't worry, it will thicken up a lot when it cools down a bit. If it is wayyy to thin, you can mix up some corn starch with cold water and add it in to thicken it.
Now is the time you are going to add a whole Sh*t load of black pepper and similar spices to taste. You may want to add additional salt at this time as well. Stir it well and then take a taste to adjust the seasoning to your liking.
Personally I like to add a couple large spoonfuls of nutritional yeast as well. It will add to the complexity of the flavor (bitter/umami) and gives your vegan friends some b-vitamins.
The mushroom gravy will stay good in a tightly sealed plastic container in the freezer for months.
This gravy recipie was inspired by and developed after the best dish $4.50 can buy in the city: Biscuits and Gravy at the Hard Times Cafe in Minneapolis: