Espagnole

Ingredients

• 1 small carrot, coarsely chopped

• 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 stick (1/4 cup) unsalted butter

• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour

• 4 cups hot beef stock 

• 1/4 cup canned tomato purée

• 2 large garlic cloves, coarsely chopped

• 1 celery sprig, coarsely chopped

• 1/2 tsp whole black peppercorns

• 1 bay leaf

Method

Cook carrot and onion in butter in a heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden (7 to 8 minutes). Add flour and cook roux over moderately low heat, stirring constantly, until medium brown, 6 to 10 minutes.

Add hot stock in a fast stream, whisking constantly to prevent lumps, then add tomato purée, garlic, celery, peppercorns and bay leaf and bring to a boil, stirring. Reduce heat and cook at a bare simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 3 cups (about 45 minutes).

Pour sauce through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, discarding solids.

Recipe by Epicurious

About the Sauce 

No, it’s not Spanish, but very much French. French Classical, from the Auguste Escoffier heritage of culinary arts, from where the five mother sauces are known to have earned their place of pride in the kitchen. Espagnole is more commonly known as the brown sauce. A rich brown sauce that adds oomph to a Beef Tenderloin, making it a must-have in your pantry.

Aside from its use as a plating sauce, espagnole is fantastic for braising literally anything, from short ribs to lamb shank, pork shoulder to chicken supreme and sizzling veggies, too. It is dark in colour and rich in aroma and flavour, made with beef or veal stock, a dark roux, tomato puree and mirepoix, which is a combination of finely diced carrots, celery and onions.

After your espagnole is ready, it can then easily be used to make a demi-glace, in a 1:1 ratio with brown stock. This is reduced by half and finished with sherry, resulting in an intensely flavoured sauce which can be spooned over a sizzling steak, swirled into a hearty stew or stirred into a sinful French Onion Soup. That’s a weakness for us, which makes espagnole one of our choicest sauces!