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.
