Portobello mushroom steaks in vegetarian gravy

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of milk
• 2 large eggs
• Vegetable oil, for frying
• Mashed potatoes, for filing
• Vegetarian gravy, see recipe below
• 4 large portobello mushrooms, stems removed (leave the gills on)
• 1.5 cups premium flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• Chopped fresh green onions or chives, for serving (optional)

Vegetarian gravy

• 1 medium onion, cut into 4 pieces
• 2 stalks celery, coarsely chopped
• 1 medium carrot, coarsely chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed
• 1 teaspoon of vegetable oil
• 30 g dried shiitake mushrooms (about 1 heaping cup)
• 6 sprigs of thyme
• 2 sun-dried tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons lightly salted soy sauce
• 1 dried bay leaf
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 6 leaves of fresh sage
• 1/3 cup premium flour
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
• Special equipment: deep fat thermometer

Preparation:

1. Position a rack in the top part of the oven and preheat the oven to broil. Place the mushrooms on the baking sheet and broil until the sides facing up begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Flip and continue broiling until the sides facing up are tender, about 5 more minutes. Let cool.
2. Place the mushrooms, gill-side up, between 2 pieces of cling film and pound with a meat mallet to a thickness of about 0.5 cm. Sprinkle all the caps with 0.5 tsp of salt.
3. In a shallow bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and 1 teaspoon each of salt and black pepper. In a separate shallow bowl, combine milk and eggs.
4. Reduce the oven temperature to 120°C (250°F) and place a rack on a rimmed baking sheet. In a large cast-iron skillet or Dutch oven, heat about 2.5 cm (1 inch) of oil over medium heat until a deep-fry thermometer reads 175°C (335°F).
5. While the oil is heating, dredge each mushroom in the flour mixture until completely coated; shake off any excess. Then dip it in the egg mixture until completely coated; let any excess drip back into the bowl. Return the mushroom to the flour mixture and dredge it a second time until completely coated, pressing it into the flour mixture. Arrange the caps on one side of a wire rack on a baking sheet.
6. Drop two breaded mushroom caps into the hot oil and fry, turning once, until crispy and golden brown, about 5 minutes total. Transfer the mushrooms to the clean side of the grill. When the oil returns to 175°C (350°F), repeat with the remaining two caps, and return the cooked mushrooms to the oven to keep warm.
7. Serve the mushroom steaks with mashed potatoes and a generous dollop of hot gravy. Garnish with green onions, if desired.
   

   Vegetarian gravy:

8. Position a rack on the top shelf of the oven and preheat the oven to 230°C (430°F). On a rimmed baking sheet, combine the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic with oil and 1 teaspoon of salt. Bake until the vegetables are charred in spots, 25 to 30 minutes.
9. In a medium saucepan, combine the roasted vegetables, 1 cup water, mushrooms, thyme, sun-dried tomatoes, soy sauce, bay leaf, and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until most of the liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Add 6 cups water and 1/2 teaspoon salt and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until the broth has reduced by about a third, about 45 minutes. Strain into a large measuring cup, then squeeze all the liquid out of the solids with the back of a ladle (you should have about 4 cups of broth); discard the solids. If not making the gravy right away, let the broth cool to room temperature, then refrigerate and store for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month; warm gently before making the gravy.
10. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the sage leaves to the butter and stir for 30 seconds; remove the toasted leaves from the pan and set aside. Add the flour to the pan and stir until the mixture is light golden brown, about 2 minutes. Gradually pour in the warm broth, whisking constantly until thick and smooth, about 8-10 minutes.
11. Chop the fried sage, stir it into the gravy along with the parsley and season with pepper to taste.
    
    Exit: 2.5 tbsp.