Brown Sauce

Ingredients

• 1/2 C. diced carrots
• 1/2 C. diced onion
• 1/2 C. diced celery
• 4 T. diced lean bacon, blanched and drained
• 4 T. clarified butter
• 4 T. flour
• 8 C. beef stock, boiling
• 3 T. tomato paste
• 4 large sprigs parsley
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/2 tsp. thyme
• Salt, to taste
• Freshly-ground pepper, to taste

Directions

In a heavy 2-quart saucepan, sauté 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 all at once, stirring 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 or scum from the top. When the sauce is the consistency of heavy cream, correct the seasoning and strain through a fine sieve.

*This is a classical French brown sauce, also called sauce espagnole. It is the basis for many other sauce. The secret is to use good quality, strong beef stock and to simmer the sauce very slowly. It freezes well.