sweet miscellany

One of my favorite things about supporting local farms is the plethora of new vegetables I’ve been able to try over the years. You can’t walk into a grocery store and find wasabina mustard greens, papaloquelite, or fresh green coriander seed. With these new variants comes inspiration and an ever-expanding knowledge. And some damn tasty dishes, too.

After Harvey a lot of our farms in Texas were hit pretty hard. And while weather is always part of the gamble with farming, nobody ever thinks 53 inches of rain from one hurricane is in the cards. But nonetheless, we persist. You keep moving forward because there is no other option. You keep pushing and grinding. And eventually, you make it through to the other side.

After 3 months of recovery and countless man hours, my favorite local farm Loam Agronomics is re-starting their CSA program this week! I was able to get some veggies in advance of the official start so that I could develop a couple of recipes to get people excited about their share. This one involves a type of mustard called tendergreen or Komatsuna. As the name suggests, it is tender like spinach and has a mild flavor compared to that of traditional mustard greens. Since it has such a tender leaf it can be eaten raw. Check out the recipe for this holiday-inspired salad over on their blog, and maybe sign up for a CSA share while you’re at it 😉

Oyster Mushrooms Steaks with Miso Gravy and Polenta | vegan and gluten free recipe by Sweet Miscellany

These oyster mushrooms steaks with polenta and miso gravy are a great meatless main dish for the holiday season! Oyster mushrooms are seared then served atop an herbed polenta with a dollop of miso gravy. You can enjoy this vegan and gluten free recipe during the holidays and beyond.

If you’re looking for an umami-rich main dish this holiday season without the meat, try these oyster mushroom “steaks” with miso gravy! The oyster mushrooms are seared to perfection then served atop a bed of pillowy herbed polenta. The dish is topped with a generous pour of miso gravy right before serving. This dish is vegan and gluten free which makes it a great option for those avoiding meat, dairy, and wheat.

Don’t be intimidated by this three-component recipe! You’ll start by making your polenta. You’ll thicken it to a certain point, then cover it and let it do its thing. While the polenta finishes cooking, you can sear off the mushrooms. Then comes the gravy! To keep the mushrooms warm while you make the gravy, you can cover the pan with foil and place it in the warming drawer of your oven. If you don’t have a warming drawer, you can either use the “warm” setting or set your oven to about 175 degrees.

Since the gravy will thicken as it sets, make sure to have some extra stock on hand in case you need to thin it out a bit. You can keep it in a small pot over low heat so that it’s ready to go. Simply add warm stock to the gravy a bit at a time until is loosens back to a pourable consistency.

Oyster Mushroom Steaks with Miso Gravy

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Author: Courtney West
Total Time: 45 minutes
Yield: 4 servings 1x
Diet: Vegan

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Description

Ingredients

Units Scale

for the polenta:

4 cups vegetable stock
1 cup polenta
sea salt, to taste
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp garlic powder

for the mushrooms:

8 ounces oyster mushrooms, separated into at least 4 large clusters/steaks if possible
sea salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon olive oil

for the miso gravy:

2 teaspoons olive oil or vegan butter
2 tablespoons oat flour
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock, plus a bit more as needed to thin the gravy
1 tbsp mellow miso paste
sea salt, to taste

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Instructions

Make the polenta: add the stock to a pot set over medium high heat. If you are using low sodium stock, add a pinch of salt. Once the stock comes to a boil, whisk in the polenta. Keep whisking the polenta until it thickens and begins to sputter, then mix in the herbs and garlic powder. Turn the heat down to medium low, cover the pot, and let it cook undisturbed for 15 minutes. Remove it from the heat and keep it covered until ready to serve. If you like, you can taste it and add more salt if needed.
Make the mushrooms: while the polenta is cooking, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sprinkle a bit of salt and pepper on each side of the mushrooms. Once the oil is heated, place the mushroom “steaks” into the pan. Press them gently with the spatula, then let them cook undisturbed for 3-4 minutes or until you see the edges turning golden. Carefully flip the mushrooms, then cook an additional 2-3 minutes on the second side. Turn off the heat and cover the pan with foil to keep them warm while you make the gravy. Or, place the pan in the warming drawer of your oven.
Make the gravy: Add the oil or butter to a sauce pan set over medium heat. Once heated, sprinkle in the flour then whisk continuously until it begins to smell nutty and has darkened a bit in color (about 3-4 minutes total). Add the vegetable stock and the chickpea miso, then continue to whisk the gravy until smooth and thickened. It should be a pourable consistency. If it’s not, add a bit more vegetable stock. Taste the gravy and add salt and pepper as needed to suit your tastes.
To serve, divide the polenta between 4 shallow bowls. Top the polenta with a mushroom steak, then drizzle it with a hearty helping of the miso gravy. Makes 4 main course servings.

Notes

Typically oyster mushrooms are sold in large clusters. For this recipe, I kept them in their clusters so I could cook them into “steaks”. If the mushrooms you come across are already broken down into smaller pieces, you’ll simply cook them as-is.
Your gravy will be thinner than is shown in the photos as it thickened over the course of taking photos. Make sure to keep some stock in a pot on the stove set over low heat in case you need to thin it a bit!

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 35 minutes
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