This gravy is so good you may just end up eating it like soup, spoonful after spoonful. We ladle it over practically any meatball in this book, and we also really love it over a big steaming bowl of Mashed Potatoes (page 79). You can make it ahead, though be careful to stir it frequently while reheating, scraping up the sauce on the bottom of the saucepan to avoid burning.

　　

Ingredients

Makes 4 cups

　　1/4 cup olive oil

　　1 large onion, halved and cut into 1/8-inch slices

　　1 1/2 tablespoons salt

　　1 tablespoon fresh thyme

　　1 pound button mushrooms, wiped clean and cut into 1/4-inch slices

　　2/3 cup dry white wine

　　4 cups chicken stock

　　4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

　　1/4 cup all-purpose flour

　　1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley

　　Freshly ground black pepper

　　

Step 1

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, salt, and thyme and cook, stirring constantly, until the onions have become soft and translucent, about 10 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the mushrooms and cook until almost all of their liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes. Add the white wine and continue cooking until the pan is almost dry, about 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and continue cooking until the stock is reduced by half, about 30 minutes.

　　

Step 3

In the meantime, combine the butter and flour in a small bowl and mix together with the back of a wooden spoon until a smooth paste forms. Add the paste to the simmering gravy and whisk continuously until the paste has completely dissolved and the gravy has thickened. Stir in the parsley and add pepper to taste.

　　Reprinted with permission from The Meatball Shop Cookbook by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow with Lauren Deen. Copyright © 2011 by Daniel Holzman and Michael Chernow; photographs copyright © 2011 by John Kernick. Published by Ballantine Books, an imprint of The Random House Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved.Daniel Holzman is executive chef at The Meatball Shop. He is an alum of Le Bernadin, San Francisco's Fifth Floor, and Aqua, among other highly acclaimed restaurants. He attended the Culinary Institute of America, where he received a full scholarship from the James Beard Foundation.Michael Chernow runs the front-of-house operations and the beverage program at The Meatball Shop. He has worked extensively in restaurants in New York and Los Angeles. He is a graduate of the French Culinary Institute, where he earned degrees in culinary arts and restaurant management. He and Holzman met as teenagers when they worked together as delivery boys at the New York vegan restaurant Candle Café. Needless to say, the vegan thing didn't really stick.Lauren Deen is the author of the New York Times bestselling Cook Yourself Thin series and Kitchen Playdates. She is an Emmy award—and James Beard award— winning television producer and director. She is currently executive producer of food(ography) on the Cooking Channel.