Vegetarian Gravy

Ingredients for  4  Servings

• 500ml

  Vegetable stock, homemade or made from 1 stock cube
• 50ml

  Sweet sherry, brandy or wine of choice
• 1

  Small onion
• 1

  Stick of celery
• 1

  Medium carrot
• 1 tbsp

  Vegetable oil or a good knob of butter
• 2 tsp

  Chopped fresh herbs (such as parsley, sage, thyme, rosemary, or a combination of them all) or 1 tsp mixed dry herbs
• 1

  Bay leaf
• 1 tbsp

  Tomato purée
• 1 tbsp

  Plain flour
• 1 tsp

  Yeast extract or 1 tbsp soy sauce
• -

  Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Approximate Times

• Preparation :

  Less than 30 minutes
• Cooking :

  10 to 30 minutes

Method

1. Finely chop the vegetables and fry in the oil over a medium heat along with the herbs for about 10 minutes or until they start to brown.
2. Add the tomato purée and fry for 30 seconds.
3. Stir in the flour, frying for 1 min, then pour in the stock. Add the alcohol, mixing well to dissolve the flour and avoid lumps.
4. Simmer for 5 minutes until you have a thickened sauce. Then add the yeast extract or soy sauce.
5. Pour through a sieve into a clean pan. Season with salt and pepper before serving.