Dried mushroom gravy: a selection of the best recipes

Publication in the group: Dishes with mushrooms

Dried mushroom gravy is always considered an addition that helps add variety to winter or vegetarian menus. The basic recipe is simple and allows you to come up with numerous variations based on it. A cook can use a forest product to prepare a small culinary masterpiece for gourmets, a hearty quick lunch, or the centerpiece of a holiday table.

Features of preparing the sauce

Our ancestors prepared a sauce from dried mushrooms. Since then, the recipes have changed somewhat, but the general principles remain the same. Knowing them, you can prepare a tasty and aromatic sauce according to any recipe you like.

1. 
   Prepare dried mushrooms in advance, long before dinner, otherwise they will not have time to swell and take their original shape. First, soak them in cool water for 20–30 minutes and rinse well. Soak for 4-6 hours in clean water and cook in it for half an hour, otherwise the broth will not be aromatic enough. Remove the mushrooms, cool and cut into small pieces.

2. Grind the mushrooms for the sauce thoroughly, but not to a puree. Therefore, it is better not to use a blender and do all the work by hand.
3. Sometimes the recipe does not indicate the exact amount of mushrooms. This means you can make sauce with even a small amount. However, the more mushrooms you use, the richer the taste and aroma of the finished sauce will be.
4. The gravy made from dried mushrooms is usually thickened with flour. It's best to fry it until it turns a caramel color. Then the sauce will have a pleasant aroma. Otherwise it will be mealy and less tasty.
5. Do not prepare the mushroom sauce in large quantities as it should not be stored for more than two days.

Mushroom sauce made from dried mushrooms is usually served hot, pouring it over the dishes before serving or placing a filled, specially shaped container on the table.

Selection and preparation of ingredients

To select quality ingredients, pay attention to the expiration date. It is also desirable that the composition contains fewer chemical additives. The more natural the sauce, the tastier it will be.

Important: Do not buy dried mushrooms in open markets. They contain a lot of dust and bacteria.

Prepare the ingredients as follows:

1. First, rinse the mushrooms under running water.
2. Then soak them in cold salted water for 2-3 hours. This makes the fruiting bodies more elastic and fleshy.
3. Rinse them again to remove small particles of dirt. Use whole fruit bodies for sauces.

Features of storing workpieces

To prevent the sauce from spoiling, you need to store it properly. This is best done in clean jars or containers that can be tightly covered with a lid . The less air gets inside, the longer the gravy will be stored.

On average, sauces made from dried mushrooms are stored for 3–5 days . They need to be kept in the refrigerator, preferably on the bottom shelf, where more coolness gets in.

Did you know? In the state of Oregon, in the Malure Nature Reserve, the largest mycelium of boletus grows. Its area is 880 hectares.

So, now you know how to prepare sauces and gravies made from dried mushrooms. This is not difficult to do at home, since all the ingredients in the recipes are quite simple. If you want, you can replace some products with those that you like better.

Fragrant

Ingredients:

• dried mushrooms – 100–150 g;
• onions – 3 pcs. (~300 g);
• white wheat flour – 2 tbsp. l.;
• butter – 50–100 g;

• sour cream – 3 tbsp. l.;
• water - optional;
• salt, pepper, spices to taste.

How to cook

1. To prepare this dish you will need dried wild mushrooms. You can use white ones. Place them in a bowl and cover with hot water. Leave to swell for about an hour. Then boil the mushrooms (about 15 minutes).
2. Cut the onion into small cubes. Fry the onion in vegetable oil until soft and translucent.
3. Remove the cooked mushrooms from the water. Add them to the pan with the onions.
4. Fry the mushrooms and onions together. Add salt and spices to taste.
5. Pour some mushroom broth into the pan. Add sour cream. Stir. Let simmer for 1-2 minutes, then turn off.
6. Serve the sauce with potatoes, but it also goes well with buckwheat or any other side dish.

With cheese

Cheese sauce is well known in European cuisine. Depending on the region, different varieties of hard or semi-hard cheese are placed in it: Dutch Edam, French Roquefort or Italian Parmesan. Housewives who are ready to experiment in the kitchen can use several types of cheese at the same time, including suluguni, mozzarella or even processed cheese.

This sauce will be an excellent addition to chicken or pork dishes. It can also be served as a separate hot snack in portioned dishes.

Ingredients

You need to take:

• 150 g dried mushrooms;
• 1 onion;
• 250 g hard cheese;
• 70 g butter;
• 250 ml cream (20%);
• 3-4 black peppercorns;
• salt.

Step-by-step cooking process

Sequencing:

1. Peel the onions and chop them. Fry in hot oil until light golden brown (5-10 minutes)
2. Cut the boiled mushrooms into thin slices and add to the onion. Cook over moderate heat, stirring vigorously, for 8-10 minutes.
3. Coarsely grate the cheese and add to the onion and mushroom mixture.

4. Add cream, boil.
5. When the mixture boils, add spices and salt.

One of the simplest recipes

You will need:

• 20 grams of dried mushrooms;
• 300 ml mushroom broth;
• 1 tbsp. l. flour;
• parsley;

• 100 grams of sour cream;
• pepper, salt to taste;
• a few cloves of garlic.

Preparation

1. Rinse the dried mushrooms and pour boiling water over them overnight. In the morning, add a little more water to the same pan and cook them. Then drain the water, but do not throw it away.
2. Heat a frying pan and fry the flour in it until it becomes creamy.
3. Pour in the broth and stir vigorously until smooth. Add one or two cups of plain water until the mixture reaches the desired consistency. When the sauce thickens, add sour cream, mushrooms, pepper and salt.
4. Simmer for about five minutes over low heat. At the end of cooking, throw in the chopped garlic and herbs, let sit for a few minutes, and then serve.

Red gravy with dry mushrooms for pasta

The gravy is prepared with the addition of tomato paste, red wine and olives; it goes especially well with pasta.

• dry forest mushrooms – 50G;
• pitted olives – 0.5 cups;
• butter - 50 g;
• chopped garlic – 2 cloves;
• vegetable oil – 1 tbsp. l.;
• tomato paste – 0.25 cups;
• dry red wine – 1 glass;
• fresh chopped parsley - 1 tbsp. l.;
• salt to taste.

Prepare the mushrooms, chop them finely. Heat vegetable oil in a saucepan, add butter. Then add the mushrooms and simmer them over low heat for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add finely chopped garlic, cook for a couple more minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Pour in the wine and cook the sauce for 5 minutes. At the end of the stew, add olives, cut into rings. Salt, pepper, add chopped parsley.

Recipe of dried mushrooms, milk and herbs

Ingredients:

• dried mushrooms – 60 g;
• processed cheese – 200 gr;
• whole milk – 150 ml;
• onion – 1 pc.;

• Sherry wine – 50 ml;
• fresh herbs (dill, parsley) – 10 g;
• sea ​​salt.

Cooking method:

1. Pour washed dried mushrooms with clean cold water and leave for 3 hours to “swell”.
2. After the specified time, place the dishes with them on the stove and simmer for 40–45 minutes.
3. Remove the mushrooms from the broth, cool and finely chop. Then chop the onion. Cut the cream cheese into cubes. Fry the onion in a frying pan, add the mushrooms and at the last moment the milk.
4. Simmer all ingredients for 5–7 minutes, then add chopped herbs, salt and wine. Bring the mixture to a boil and remove from heat.

For it you need to prepare the following components:

• 300 g dry champignons.
• 300 ml milk.
• 2 glasses of water.
• 100 ml olive oil.
• 100 g sour cream.
• 3 pcs. onions.
• 1 pinch of ground black pepper.
• 1 pinch of salt.

To prepare, you must follow the instructions.

Finely chop the onion and simmer in oil until it becomes soft. Add chopped champignons, previously steeped in water for 3 hours, to the onion and fry for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. The liquid from infusing the champignons does not need to be poured into the total mass, but can be used to control the density. It is important to ensure that the mixture does not burn. When the champignons and onions have cooled, place them in a blender, add sour cream, salt, pepper and pour in 150 ml of milk. Grind the mixture to a homogeneous puree. The sauce obtained from ground dried mushrooms should be transferred to a saucepan and the remaining cream should be added and stirred. Bring the mixture to a boil over low heat, remove from heat and let steep for 15-20 minutes.

Sauce with sour cream

Ingredients:

• dried mushrooms – 100 g;
• water – 1 l;
• onions – 0.2 kg;
• vegetable oil – 100 ml;
• butter – 50 g;

• wheat flour – 35 g;
• sour cream – 100 ml;
• fresh dill – 50 g;
• salt, pepper to taste.

Cooking method:

1. Pour washed mushrooms with a liter of purified water for 4–6 hours.
2. Place the pan over medium heat and wait until it boils. Cover the pan with a lid, reduce heat and simmer the mushrooms until tender. This will take about 20-30 minutes from the moment the water boils.
3. Drain the broth and strain.
4. Cool and finely chop the mushrooms.
5. Chop the peeled onion into small pieces.
6. Fry it in vegetable oil and mix with mushrooms. Fry the mixture for 5-10 minutes.
7. Melt the butter in a clean frying pan, add flour, stir.
8. Pour in the mushroom broth in a thin stream, stirring constantly with a whisk.
9. When the sauce thickens a little, add mushrooms and onions, as well as finely chopped dill.
10. Cook for another 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Add sour cream, salt and spices to taste. Stir, wait a few minutes and remove from heat.

The sauce for this recipe has a fresh, summery flavor thanks to the dill, and the sour cream gives it a soft, creamy taste.

Spicy sauce

Ingredients:

• mushrooms, reconstituted from dried – 0.5 kg;
• onion – 150 gr;
• sweet pepper – 0.5 kg;

• dry white wine – 0.25 l;
• salt, hot spices to taste;
• olive oil - as needed.

Cooking method:

1. Prepare dried mushrooms by soaking them in clean water for several hours. Place them on the fire and cook until soft. Usually 30 minutes of cooking time is more than enough. 5 minutes before the end of cooking, season the broth with salt and pepper.
2. Remove the mushrooms and leave to drain. Cut into medium sized pieces once cooled.
3. Wash the peppers. Cut off the stems and remove the seeds. Cut into small squares or slices.
4. Peel the onion and chop into thin rings.
5. Heat the oil in a frying pan and add the onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes, then add the pepper and continue to cook over low heat, stirring, for another 10 minutes.
6. Add mushrooms and simmer along with vegetables for about 10 minutes.
7. Pour in the wine, reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. Boil everything for 5 minutes.

The sauce for this recipe is quite thick. This is not even a sauce, but a warm salad that will harmoniously complement any dish of meat, potatoes, or pasta.

Mushroom sauce made from dried mushrooms is so good that it can be made any time of the year. It has the same organoleptic properties as sauces made from fresh mushrooms.

Meat and wine

This recipe for an Italian sauce or a sauce made from dried mushrooms and wine will delight gourmets with its exquisite, unique taste.

Preparation step by step:

1. Pour concentrated chicken broth over dried mushrooms.
2. After 2-3 hours, boil them in this liquid, half of the moisture should boil down, and instead you will get a wonderful chicken and mushroom broth.
3. Fry the onion and add it to the main sauce.
4. Simmer the resulting mixture over the fire, adding half a glass of red wine.
5. Cook the Bechamel sauce, combine with the main dressing, add a little butter and spices, cook for a while until thickened.

The meat sauce is best served without chopping: pieces of mushrooms should be noticeable in the main dish, but everyone's tastes are different.

The wine in this recipe adds a slight but pleasant hint of bitterness and spice. Chicken broth will give the dressing a delicate tint. In a word, you get an unforgettable bouquet of tastes and aromas.

Making a simple sauce requires basic ingredients and a little patience, but creating a real masterpiece requires work, but the result will exceed all expectations.

Useful tips and tricks

Modern city dwellers, as a rule, do not have much experience in choosing mushrooms. And once upon a time, among our ancestors, mushroom dishes were included in the daily diet and were equally popular both in peasant families and among representatives of the upper strata of aristocratic society. Today's gourmets consider mushrooms a delicacy, since this natural product gives every dish a unique, subtle taste.

The high nutritional value of mushrooms allows you to make any dish based on them not only tasty, but also healthy. Due to the high content of minerals in mushrooms, their consumption has a beneficial effect on the cardiovascular, nervous and digestive systems of the body. Regularly including mushroom dishes in your menu can improve the appearance of your skin, nails and hair, as well as strengthen the walls of blood vessels and reduce cholesterol in the blood.

When asked about choosing the type of mushroom for mushroom gravy, you can rely on your own preferences or on the international classification, dividing representatives of the mushroom kingdom into 4 groups according to the degree of nutritional and taste value. The highest category includes porcini mushrooms, milk mushrooms, saffron milk caps and truffles. They are not only tasty, but also a real storehouse of useful minerals. One step behind is the group, which includes rednecks, chanterelles, boletuses and aspen boletuses.

Their taste is not as refined, and their nutritional properties are less impressive than those of the leaders. Honey mushrooms and morels fell into the third group, and russula - into the fourth. Despite this, each type of mushroom has its own connoisseurs and fans. When choosing spices, no fewer questions arise than when choosing mushrooms.

The following comparative table will help the cook navigate the world of spices:

Dried mushroom gravy is a universal dish. Thanks to the variety of recipe options and ease of preparation, even an inexperienced cook can please family members and surprise guests with dishes from the cuisine of various regions of the globe.

What's the best way to use mushroom sauce?

Delicious mushroom sauce can be served at the holiday table, with meatballs or mashed potatoes. And what a dish you get if you combine the sauce with chicken, pork or veal!

Here's an example. In a frying pan with sunflower oil, fry the chopped chicken fillet along with the onion. Then add the soaked dried mushrooms and simmer until tender.

About 10 minutes before removing from heat, add mayonnaise and flour, pepper, salt and continue cooking. The sauce made from dried mushrooms according to this recipe is very satisfying, you can eat it just like that. If you add cream or sour cream, you get a sauce with a softer texture and a delicate, pleasant taste. Bon appetit!

Secrets to making the perfect mushroom gravy

Mushroom sauce is a great addition to many dishes. It goes well with potatoes, baked or fried meats, vegetable stews and steamed chops.

The sauce can be served with pasta, cabbage rolls, cauliflower; it makes the simplest and most tasteless dishes delicious. If you're making it for the first time, check out these helpful tips from seasoned cooks who know how to make a delicious mushroom sauce.

Secret #1 : To make the sauce thicker, add flour and fry it in butter until creamy. Toasted flour gives the sauce a nice nutty flavor rather than the paste-like taste of raw flour.

Secret No. 2 : Don't buy dried mushrooms at the market. In this form, it is impossible to recognize either the mushrooms themselves or their quality. It is better to purchase such products from a trusted store.

Secret No. 3 : To prepare the sauce, it is best to use a saucepan or pan with a thick bottom. This prevents food from burning and at the same time creates ideal conditions for braising.

Secret No. 4 : The sauce can be served directly with a side dish, for example, potatoes, or poured into special bowls and gravy boats.

Secret #5 : If you are using champignons, take a few dried mushrooms, grind them in a mortar or coffee grinder into flour and add to the sauce. Dried mushrooms will enhance the taste of the dish with their aroma.

Secret No. 6 : If you choose fresh mushrooms for the sauce, wash and boil them, then chop and fry until tender. Forest fruiting bodies should not be eaten without prior heat treatment.

Secret #7 : Warm the cream slightly before adding to the sauce to prevent it from curdling under the heat.

Mushroom sauce goes well with pasta, potatoes, buckwheat or fluffy rice. Instead of dried mushrooms, you can use fresh ones, such as champignons or oyster mushrooms. The sauce will acquire a richer taste if you add a little chopped herbs at the end.