Recipe: Four Square Restaurant Red Wine Reduction Sauce

FOUR SQUARE RESTAURANT RED WINE REDUCTION SAUCE

"Shortly after he started volunteering in Four Square's kitchen, Dale Wright cornered chef Shane Ingram and demanded the recipe for a delectable red wine reduction sauce. Ingram uses the sauce to give extra sparkle to braised vegetables, potatoes, meats - just about anything. Wright enjoys it as a sauce for grilled steak."

3 strips bacon
1 small carrot, roughly chopped
1 rib celery, roughly chopped
1 small onion, peeled and roughly chopped
2 bay leaves
4 or 5 whole peppercorns
1 or 2 cloves garlic (more if desired)
2 cups red wine
2 cups veal or beef stock
butter, optional
chopped rosemary and thyme, optional

Saute bacon in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat, until lightly cooked and fat is rendered.

Add carrot, celery, onion, bay leaves, peppercorns and garlic. Allow mixture to cook, stirring occasionally, until everything turns a rich brown.

Add red wine and simmer until liquid is reduced and thickened to a glaze.

Add stock to mixture and let cook at a slow simmer for about 30 minutes. As the sauce simmers, skim off fat and impurities that rise to the surface and discard every 5 to 10 minutes.

When liquid is reduced to the desired consistency, strain it through a chinois or fine mesh strainer. (You should have about 1 cup of sauce.) Return sauce to pan. Add some butter and chopped herbs, such as thyme or rosemary, if desired.

Note: Four Square makes stock from meat bones, but home cooks can substitute a can of no - or low-sodium broth.

Makes 1 cup
From: Chef Shane Ingram of Four Square Restaurant
Source: Raleigh News & Observer