How to Make Olive and Coriander Vegetarian, Vegan and Gluten Free Gravy

We have friends staying with us and my wife Becca kindly offered to cook them a roast on Sunday. I contributed my olive and coriander vegetarian, vegan and gluten free gravy. It has a strong rich flavour which resulted in our friends scraping the last drops out of the gravy boat. The recipe came about because I wanted to find alternatives to gravy browning; I don't like using artificial additives. Black olives are ideal and give a lovely dark colour and savoury flavour which goes well with meat, fish and vegetarian roasts.

Preparation time; 5 mins.

Cooking time; 25 mins.

Serves; 6.

• A medium onion.
• 2 heaped teaspoons vegetable bouillon or a vegetable stock cube
• Heaped dessertspoon of cornflour
• Large handful pitted black olives (there were 22, about 80g)
• Handful fresh coriander
• Olive oil (not shown)

Chop the onion, add two tablespoons of olive oil and fry on a low medium heat until brown. I fried these for about 10 minutes, I could have done them for longer to brown them more.

Add the cornflour and fry for another two minutes.

Add 600mls boiling water to a measuring jug, add the bouillon or stock cube and dissolve.

Add the stock to the frying pan and bring to a simmer. This removes all the lovely dark bits which have burnt onto the pan and adds them to the gravy.

Transfer to a deeper, narrower pan suitable for blending and add the olives. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Chop the coriander in the meantime.

Add the coriander after fifteen minutes, bring back to a simmer then blend until smooth.

Pour through a sieve into a warmed gravy boat and you are done! Serve with roast meat, fish and vegetables, or sausage and mash.