Now, we can’t really talk about Italian white wine sauce and not talk about its red wine counterpart. Where would be the justice in that?! It would be somewhat of a culinary sin not to, wouldn’t it?
OK, so did you try out the Italian white wine sauce recipe shared in the previous post? If you did, how was it? Don’t worry if it didn’t come out the way you expected it to – sometimes, it takes time. The fun is in the experimentation! So don’t take it too seriously. Have fun with it.
1) Do you like shallots? If so, fry up 3 or 4 finely diced shallots in a saucepan in about half a cup of olive oil until they soften. Alternatively, you could use 2 medium-sized onions instead of shallots.
2) Next, add about half a cup of white flour and stir until pasty.
3) Turn the heat down, then add and stir in half a cup of stock. The stock can be from chicken, lamb, beef, etc. Whether you make it from scratch or buy it ready-made is up to you. However, fresh stock is better if you do have the time to prepare it.
4) Add half a cup of red wine (sweet or dry - take your pick) and turn up the heat to bring it to the boil.
5) As soon as it’s brought to the boil, turn the heat down low and leave it to slowly simmer until it thickens to the consistency that you prefer.
6) add salt, pepper, herbs to taste. You might not need to add that much salt and pepper due to the stock. Some people also add Dijon mustard and/or garlic. Experiment!
This wine sauce goes particularly well with beef, chicken, lamb or duck. If you love mushrooms, all the better as it makes a great accompaniment along with a simple fresh salad with a light vinaigrette dressing.
Bon appetit!
(img by: Son of Groucho)