When attention is on the field of awareness, we just never know what Life will "drop in." In the same way, during a meal, we can be so focused on the main dish or a perceived "favorite" that we miss an understated ingredient or a special side dish. On Thanksgiving, we had the most delicious mushroom gravy ever! Had we not been astute students of awareness, we might have missed it by focusing only on the fabulous main dish or scrumptious dessert. Delighting our taste buds is as good a motivation as any to train attention to be in thisherenow.
Gassho
Rebecca
Mushroom Gravy
1/6 of an onion, chopped small
3/4 cup mushrooms, cut pinky nail size
2 Tbs. flour
1 cup unsweetened soymilk
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground thyme
1/8 tsp. pepper
1. Toast the flour over medium heat in a dry, thick-bottomed pan or skillet (cast iron is ideal). To toast the flour, first heat up the pan, then add the flour and stir it constantly with a spatula or flat-edged wooden spoon until it lightly browns. This will not take long – two to five minutes, depending on how hot the skillet is. It is easy for the flour to burn during this process; if it does, start over, as this will impart an unpleasant flavor to the gravy. Any variation in the ratio between the flour and the soymilk will affect the consistency of the gravy, so it is important to measure both carefully. When the flour has browned, remove the skillet from the heat and continue stirring until the flour is no longer being cooked.
2. Cool the flour for at least five minutes, and then whisk the soymilk and the flour together until the flour is dissolved.
3. Meanwhile, sauté the onions in another thick-bottomed pan until they are well-cooked. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until they are done as well.
4. Whisk the flour/soymilk mixture together again to make sure the flour is well incorporated and then pour it into the pot with the onions and mushrooms, scraping the sides of the pan to make sure you’ve got every bit.
5. Bring it all to a boil, stirring constantly to prevent burning. The gravy will thicken as it comes to a boil.
6. Reduce the heat to very low; add the seasonings and cook for five minutes, stirring often. If the gravy is not served right away it will thicken more as it cools, in which case you can add more soymilk to get the consistency you desire.
Makes about 2 cups.