Ohio City’s Juneberry Table serves up biscuits and sausage with mushroom, spinach gravy

CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) - Longtime Cleveland Chef Karen Small recently opened a breakfast and lunch restaurant in Ohio City, Juneberry Table.

She is focusing on simple, seasonal and local ingredients.

This week on Cleveland Cooks, she shared her recipe for the sausage, mushroom and spinach gravy that she serves with her cheese and chive biscuits.

Sausage, Mushroom and Spinach Gravy Recipe:

• 1# bulk breakfast sausage
• 1 T butter
• 1/4 c flour
• 1.5 cups whole milk
• 1c. heavy cream
• Optional vegetable stock
• ½ head of fennel, small dice
• 1 onion, small dice
• 2 sprigs fresh sage
• 2 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• Dash each cayenne and nutmeg
• 1.5 -2 cups fresh spinach
• ½ # fresh mushrooms sliced
• 2T +1 t. Neutral oil
• Salt and Pepper

Cook sausage breaking it up as you go, letting the sausage brown a bit.

Separate sausage and fat by draining. Reserve sausage. Add fat back to a saucepan with the butter and melt.

When melted add onion, fennel, spices and herbs. Cook to soften about 8 minutes.

Add flour and stir vigorously, cook for at least 5 minutes so the flour can lose its raw taste.

Add milk, slowly at first, and once incorporated, add the rest of the milk and heavy cream.

Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

While gravy simmers sauté mushrooms in 2T. neutral oil, cook until well browned and moisture is evaporated, Add spinach and 1 t. oil and sauté until wilted. Set aside.

If you feel the gravy is too thick add more milk or the optional vegetable stock. Season with salt and pepper and more spice if desired. Add the sausage spinach and mushrooms back to the pot and ladle over biscuits.

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