Sauce Espanol is arguably the most important of the French ‘mother’ sauces. Making it is incredibly satisfying. It’s not difficult at all. You can almost see the flavors developing and it has an amazing aroma while gently simmering in your kitchen for 2-3 hours.
|
|
|
|
| Degree of Difficulty |
Ingredients
- 1 tbspn unsalted butter
- 2 medium carrots peeled and chopped
- 2 stalks celery chopped
- 2 medium onions coarsely chopped or one large
- 10-12 sprigs fresh parsley sprigs chopped
- 1 tspn freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbspn dried thyme
- 3-4 dry bay leaves
- 1 can beef consommé (Campbell's)
- 1 liter good quality beef stock
Servings: cups
Units:
Instructions
- Gather all ingredients before you start recipe.
- Heat butter in a medium large sauté pan over medium high heat.
- Peel carrots, onions and roughly chop each of celery, onions and carrots and parsley and add to sauté pan. Add thyme, bay leaves and freshly ground black pepper and stir to combine.
- Sauté on medium high heat, stirring frequently, for 10-15 minutes, or until the bottom of the pan starts to get black and the vegetables turn a dark brown color.
- Add one can of beef consommé (Campbell's) stir and scrape up all the brown bits from the bottom of the pan until the pan bottom starts to look clean and shiny.
- Add one liter of good beef stock, bring to a boil, then reduce to a gentle simmer and cook for 2 to 3 hours or until reduced by half.
- Remove from heat and cool to room temperature, then move to a blender and rough chop, do not puree.
- Move to a fine sieve.
- Press all the solids through the sieve leaving only a little bit of solid left in the sieve.
- Return the sauce to a sauté pan if it looks thin and reduce until the sauce coats the back of a spoon.
- Ladle the sauce into 1/2 cup containers and freeze until needed.
