Espagnole Sauce makes the perfect accompaniment to steak, Beef Wellington, roast beef, and more!
unsalted butter flour onion carrot celery beef stock red wine tomato paste bay leave fresh thyme salt pepper
Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat, and add the chopped vegetables. Saute the veggies in butter until soft and lightly browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables and stir well, until it comes together as a roux. Continue cooking until the roux is golden brown. Make sure it doesn't get too dark!
Pouring slowly, add the red wine while stirring constantly. Scrape up any browned bits, and let the wine simmer for a few minutes.
Add in the beef stock, then the tomato paste, bay leaf, and thyme. Stir to combine.
Bring to a simmer, then reduce to low heat. Let it simmer gently for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
After it's cooked, remove the bay leaves and thyme, then pour the sauce through a fine-mesh strainer over a mixing bowl.
Rinse the saucepan, then return the sauce to the pan. Season with salt and pepper to taste, simmer an additional 5 minutes, and serve!