Red-eye Gravy

[Dave the Cook]

Red-eye Gravy

Serves 6 as Main Dish.

This was served as the staff meal at Varmint's Pig Pickin' the night before. It's based on a recipe from Savannah Seasons by Elizabeth Terry. Her recipe calls for a cornstarch slurry, but Varmint's pantry came up short on that count, so guajolote improvised a workaround using flour. We also substituted some nice portobellos for Terry's shitakes.

It was served with Shrimp and Grits.

1 T butter

8 ounces country ham, minced

2-1/2 ounces Portobello mushroom caps

1/4 C minced onion

1/2 C madeira

1/2 C coffee, freshly brewed

2 T flour

3/4 C tomato-based vegetable juice, like V-8

1 T organic* hot pepper sauce

1 T minced fresh thyme

1. Over high heat, sauté the ham in the butter until browned.

2. Add the mushrooms and onion, continue to brown.

3. Add madeira and coffee. Simmer until reduced by half, about 15 minutes.

4. Dissolve the flour in the vegetable juice. Add the pepper sauce and whisk into gravy.

5. Return the sauce to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, or until the raw flour taste is gone.

6. Remove from heat and add the thyme.

May be made ahead and refrigerated.

* inside joke for those who have attempted, in vain, to find sriracha -- or even Tabasco -- at Whole Foods.

Keywords: Main Dish, Sauce, Intermediate, American

( RG733 )