Umami Gravy

As to the rest of the food getting cold, while using the hot drippings from the turkey, to make gravy?? That turkey will be resting for approx. 30 minutes, so those drippings are the one and only way to make turkey gravy, and it's plenty of time to do so. I know because I have been doing it for over 60 years.

Without the nutritional yeast (substitute any bouillon) the recipe's title will likely be a misnomer: the vegetable stock won't cut it (though 8 oz+ of chopped, browned mushrooms may). I dispute the recipe's premise, however. Making gravy, a technique born of frugality (like deglazing in French recipes), recycles flavor-rich meat drippings instead of discarding them. You can certainly make the roux+onion+sugar ahead if you're worried about time.

People sure do get all in a twist about gravy! For everyone who is so adamant that gravy has to have meat drippings (or broth), some of us don't eat any meat, so this recipe is helpful. I've made a similar gravy but added some mushrooms and a tablespoon of white miso for more depth, but gravy is just moisture for potatoes and other dry foods (like turkey) and I, for one, would like to thank the NYT Cooking crew for including the vegetarians in the holiday fixings.

Umami powder (a powdered mix of dried mushrooms & herbs) makes a wonderful addition to this, and most anything you cook. And you can find it anywhere. Even Trader Joe's & Target sell their own brands. It elevates flavors in anything it goes into. Also, I think purchased or homemade chicken or turkey broth would give more flavor to this recipe if it doesn't need to be vegetarian. You can always roast and simmer turkey wings from the butcher to make the best.

Vegan Gravy 1/2 cup veg. oil 1/3 cup chopped yellow onions 5 garlic cloves, minced 1/2 cup flour 4 tbsp soy sauce 4 tsp nutritional yeast 2 cups vegetable broth 1/4 tsp pepper Sauté onions + garlic in oil over medium heat for 5 minutes. (If you like a smooth gravy, allow onions and garlic to cool, puree in food processor, + return to pan.) Stir in flour, soy sauce + nutritional yeast to form a paste. Whisk in broth. Add pepper. Reduce heat to low + simmer, stirring, until gravy thickens.

A bit of Asian fish sauce or soy sauce does the same thing as Umami powder

I do a vegetarian gravy with this as a base but to amp up the umami I add: * caramelized shallots (a LOT-- and uber caramelized) * mushrooms sauteed in butter (real butter-- this is vegetarian, not vegan) * crispy fresh sage (chop it up or mix in whole) * some MSG (it's a myth about it causing headaches etc) * splash of Worcestershire sauce (Ok, so it's got anchovies-- that's what gives it the umami) *use heavy cream instead of milk-- fat makes everything better

This is a good quick gravy, especially for those of us who grill rather than oven roast poultry (and thereby have no pan drippings). Substitute the vegetable broth with low sodium chicken or turkey stock and add a dollop of Knorr Homestyle stock base. I've also sauteed thinly sliced small porcini mushrooms with the onions, and it was fabulous.

Glutinous rice flour (also called sweet rice flour) makes an excellent substitute for flour.

Very similar to what I make, but mine is lazier and way more nooch ;) 1/4 c nutritional yeast 1/4 c flour 2 c veg broth 2 tbsp soy sauce onion powder, garlic power, pepper

RE: Hing (asafetida) - should work well. It's believed to be an umami enhancer, while not providing umami by itself. This effect has not been studied in experiments, unfortunately. Like truffles, however, asafetida contains organic polysulfides, whose taste and odor can be overwhelming by themselves (as indicated by the root "fetid"), but work miracles in tiny amounts.

@LA, nothin' wrong with lazy! Yours doesn't have any additional fat in it, either. I'll give it a try sometime, though I'm pretty attached to the version I have. The first Thanksgiving I made it, my carnivorous son declared it "the best gravy I've ever had!" That's when I knew it was a keeper. :-)

RE: Gluten-free- Use cornflour or rice flour.

I'm vegan, appreciate the recipe-building, and have only made miso gravy for years, so appreciate the Umami Gravy recipe as another choice -- substituting the dairy products with plant-based alternatives. Spare an Animal -- Eat a Vegetable, and carry on!

Any plant milk would work fine, Alexa. Oat milk will have the most neutral flavor. Oh, 'brewers' yeast? Nope. Yikes, don't do that. Use Nutritional Yeast. It's not the same as brewers yeast. You can find it in most stores (Whole Foods, for example. My Winco has it in bulk bins). Braggs (the cider vinegar folks) make it. It has a wonderful 'cheesy' Umami flavor ... in fact, I use it to make vegan parmesan (with almond meal, herbs, garlic and onion powder).