Espagnole (rich brown sauce) - recipes from France

Ingredients

1/2 cup diced carrots

1/2 cup diced onion

1/2 cup diced celery

4 tablespoons diced lean bacon, blanched and drained

4 tablespoons clarified butter

4 tablespoons flour

8 cups beef stock, boiling

3 tablespoons tomato paste

4 large sprigs parsley

1 bay leaf

1/2 teaspoon thyme

Salt and freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Recipe

In a heavy saucepan, sauté the vegetables and bacon in the butter until soft.
Slowly blend in flour and stir constantly over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes or until the flour is golden brown.
Remove from the heat and add the beef stock - stir constantly.
Stir in tomato paste and add herbs.
Simmer very slowly, partly covered, for at least 2 hours. The longer the sauce is simmered the better it will be.
Stir occasionally and skim off any fat from the top.
When the sauce is the consistency of double cream strain through a fine sieve.