To be perfectly honest, I never was much of a gravy lover till I migrated south. I do love my gravy now though. I'll put it on almost anything. The gravy that we are about to explore today is much like a cross between a white gravy(the kind you'd put over biscuits) and a nice caramel colored turkey gravy. What's different about this one though is the absence of grains, starches and dairy. Don't worry it taste great! Even if you are not a cashew enthusiast, you 'll love this. You can't even tell there are cashews in it.
For this recipe, I used a nice dry white wine (and oh yes dry wine IS GAPS Diet friendly). It gives the gravy a wonderfully bright taste and it is paired beautifully with the fragrant thyme tangy lemon and savory garlic.
For this recipe, I used a nice dry white wine (and oh yes dry wine IS GAPS Diet friendly). It gives the gravy a wonderfully bright taste and it is paired beautifully with the fragrant thyme tangy lemon and savory garlic.
White Wine & Thyme Cashew Grain Free Gravy
Ingredients:
2 cups soaked raw cashews (1 1/2 cups un-soaked)
2 cups soaked raw cashews (1 1/2 cups un-soaked)
2 1/2 to 3 cups chicken, beef or vegetable broth
2 tablespoons olive oil, ghee or other oil
1 medium sized onion (about 1 1/2 cups chopped)
4-5 large garlic cloves
1/2 or more cup organic dry white wine (or 1/2 cup broth instead of wine)
1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
1 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme or more to taste
1 tsp sea salt or more to taste (less if using already salted broth).
Coarse ground pepper to taste
Garlic powder if desired, to taste
Soak the cashews for 4 hours then rinse and drain. Transfer to food processor
Pull the thyme (or other herb) off of the stems then smash the leaves with a large knife.You want to release the oils of the herb. Set aside.
Dice the onion & garlic then using a large frying pan, saute the onions and garlic in 2 tablespoons oil over medium heat, cook until caramelized. This will help give your gravy a nice rich color and flavor.
Transfer the onion/garlic mixture to food processor with the cashews. Set the pan aside for later use, do not clean it yet..
Add 2 cups of broth to the food processor
Blend till smooth, as smooth as you can get it. This may take 3-5 min.
Pour the cashew mixture back into the pan that you cooked the onions and garlic in. Add the thyme and cook the cashew mixture over a medium heat for a few minuets or until it thickens and darkens up a little bit. Stir/whisk constantly so that it doesn't burn.
When ready stir/whisk in the wine, lemon juice and slat/pepper. Again keep stirring letting it thicken for a few minuets. This helps develop a richer flavor. Add some or all of the left over chicken broth to reach desired thickness
You may add more liquid if needed to get a consistency you like. If it gets too thin, don't worry, just simmer for a few minutes and it will thicken up (stir often though). It will also thicken as it cools. I often make this ahead of time and reheat it adding more wine to thin when needed.
Makes three cups.
Gravy can be made a day head of time, cooled and stored in an air tight container. Reheat over a low or medium-low heat, stirring constantly till warm. Gravy is very thick when cold but thins out nicely when heated. You can add a little more broth or wine if needed.
Make a darker gravy by using roasted cashews. You can also make it darker by replacing the salt with coconut aminos.
Make a darker gravy by using roasted cashews. You can also make it darker by replacing the salt with coconut aminos.