Serves 4-6  Etouffée, a classic Creole dish, takes its name from the French verb etouffer – to asphyxiate or smother. In this beloved technique in traditional Southern cooking, vegetables are browned, dusted with flour and spices, then doused with broth and wine, creating a rich gravy, all in one pot. Serve over rice. White rice is the standard go-to, but brown offers a mild nutty flavor and a little whole-grain goodness.

In a Dutch oven or soup pot, melt vegan butter over medium-high heat. When it starts to foam, add onion, celery and sweet pepper. Cook, stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until vegetables begin to soften and turn golden. Add minced garlic and jalapeño. Stir and cook until the vegetables begin to relax and turn fragrant. Sprinkle unbleached flour over all and continue stirring until vegetables are coated. Cook for another few minutes, until the flour absorbs all the vegetable juices and starts to toast. Add chopped tomatoes, wine and broth. Stir to combine and continue cooking until mixture coalesces into a thick sauce. Add Creole seasoning and bay leaf. Keep stirring, reducing heat to medium if the etouffée start to stick to the bottom of the pot. Add chopped mushrooms and gently stir to combine. It may appear there’s not enough sauce to coat the mushrooms, but keep cooking for another 5 to 10 minutes. The mushrooms break down and soften under heat, producing their own rich broth. Mushrooms and other vegetables should be tender, not mushy, and the gravy should be the consistency of heavy cream. Add the leaves from a sprig of thyme, then season generously with sea salt and freshly ground pepper.