Name: Make-ahead madeira gravy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: 1
Ingredients: large knob of butter -; 1 onion , chopped -; 2 carrots , finely chopped -; 2 bay leaves -; 1 large thyme sprig -; 1 tbsp caster sugar -; 3 tbsp plain flour -; 1 tsp yeast extract -; 1 tsp tomato purée -; 1 tsp balsamic vinegar -; 1 tbsp dark soy sauce -; 150ml madeira -; 1l vegetable stock (or chicken or beef stock, if you’re not cooking for vegetarians) -

Ingredients for - Make-ahead madeira gravy

1. large knob of butter

2. 1 onion , chopped

3. 2 carrots , finely chopped

4. 2 bay leaves

5. 1 large thyme sprig

6. 1 tbsp caster sugar

7. 3 tbsp plain flour

8. 1 tsp yeast extract

9. 1 tsp tomato purée

10. 1 tsp balsamic vinegar

11. 1 tbsp dark soy sauce

12. 150ml madeira

13. 1l vegetable stock (or chicken or beef stock, if you’re not cooking for vegetarians)

How to cook deliciously - Make-ahead madeira gravy

1 . Stage

Heat the butter in a wide saucepan over a medium heat. Sizzle the onion, carrots, bay leaves and thyme in the pan for 15 mins until the veg starts to brown. Scatter over the sugar and continue to cook for a further few minutes until sticky and caramelised. Stir in the flour until sandy. Cook for 1 min, then add the yeast extract, tomato purée, vinegar and soy sauce to make a sticky paste. Pour over the madeira and bubble for 1 min.

2 . Stage

Add the stock, then crush the veg with a potato masher. Bubble everything together for 10 mins until you have a thickened sauce that just coats the back of a spoon. Sieve and use straightaway as a veggie gravy or as the base to a turkey gravy. Can be cooled, then frozen for up to three months.