No-gluten gravy uses thickener that beats flour

When Thanksgiving rolled around, my gluten-sensitive friend Mary asked for stuffing and gravy made just for her, so she could enjoy the parts of the feast that she considers better than the turkey.

This seemed a worthy challenge.

The stuffing turned out to be no big deal — substitute gluten-free bread (I got mine frozen at Safeway, but there are other alternatives, including Costco). Toast it well — then use just about any stuffing recipe.

But the gravy was an adventure that taught me something. It turns out the best thickener for gluten-free gravy is mochiko, the sweetened rice flour many of us keep in the pantry to make mochi. I learned this from various websites devoted to gluten-free cooking, and it worked so well I plan to use mochiko for all my gravy needs.

It dissolves easily to make a smooth gravy without the lumps that flour is apt to produce, and with no gluey texture, which can be a problem with cornstarch.

After a successful turkey gravy experiment last week, I used mochiko to make chicken and duck gravy. All turned out especially well.

For best results, use homemade stock, which is easy for me to say because I always have some in the freezer.

If you don’t, start a day ahead and make your own stock. If you don’t have soup bones, simmer a turkey wing or the bone from your pork roast (the one you’re making the gravy for) until the meat falls off. Strain. Or use a Crock-Pot; that’s what I do. Refrigerate the stock overnight, then scoop the fat off the top and use it to start your gravy.

Can’t handle that extra step? Get your stock from a can or a carton. Just make sure it’s gluten-free.

Gluten-Free Mushroom Gravy

• 2-3 cups gluten-free stock (chicken, turkey, duck, beef, pork or vegetable), divided
• 1/4 cup minced onion
• 1-1/2 cups sliced button mushrooms
• 1 tablespoon minced rosemary leaves (or 1/3 teaspoon dried)
• 2 tablespoons fat (butter, oil, fat skimmed from homemade stock or drippings from a roast)
• 2 tablespoons mochiko (sweet rice flour)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Bring stock to a simmer in small pot.

Heat 2 tablespoons stock in wide, shallow skillet over medium-high. Add onions and saute until softened. Add mushrooms; sprinkle with rosemary. Saute until mushrooms are browned, adding a little more stock if mushrooms start to stick. Remove from skillet.

Add fat to the same skillet. Add mochiko and whisk to form a paste (it will be lumpy; that’s OK). Slowly add 1 cup stock, whisking to combine and smooth out the mochiko paste. Reduce heat to maintain a low simmer. Add more stock slowly, then whisk as gravy thickens (if it gets too thick, add more stock). When it reaches a consistency that you like, stir in mushrooms. Taste; add salt and pepper as needed. Makes about 3 cups.

Approximate nutritional information, per 2 tablespoons, using chicken stock and butter (not including salt and pepper to taste): 25 calories, 1.5 g fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 5 mg cholesterol, 50 mg sodium, 2 g carbohydrate, no fiber, 1 g sugar, 1 g protein