Red Wine Pan Sauce - 5 Star!

[dragnlaw]

This is one of those recipes so many bloggers claim "can't get enough of" - heard that one before?
Well, here's one! LOL This is from Food and Wine .com and originally was posted with Lamb Chops. Yes, I had it with lamb chops, beef patties and will soon try it with pork, it really is that good AND versatile (see below)
This link will take you there if you'd like, and I'm posting my confused version.

Red Wine Pan Sauce with Cumin and Chilies

1. Oil for frying your meat - I used Olive Oil - Pour off excess of 1 Tbsp.
2. 1 or 2 Tbsp. chopped chili - Fresno or Jalapeno (I used some red chopped Jalapeno's from the freezer.
3. 1 clove garlic chopped
4. 1 tsp cumin
5. 1/3 cup red wine
6. 1 cup beef stock
7. 2 Tbsp butter
8. 3 Tbsp Cilantro (or parsley)
9. 1/2 tsp lime zest & juice
10. MY ADDITIONS
11. 1 shallot, sliced length wise
12. mushrooms, sliced 1/2 cup?

In same pan as meat seared/cooked, with the left-over 1 Tbsp of oil, soften the peppers and garlic. I add my extra addition(shallot)* at this point, stirring to soften. Add cumin, stir for about 10 seconds to be fragrant.
Add the wine and beef stock, stir up bits on bottom, simmer for several minutes and reduce by half. *Here I add my mushrooms because I usually am adding canned sliced or bits & pcs. but if fresh add with shallots.
-recipe says: When reduced enough to coat spoon, stir in butter to melt, remove from heat.
-my way: because I've added the extra shallots and mushrooms, I do not reduce by much, but still, I have also (several times) thickened with cornstarch. Stir in butter to melt, remove from heat.
Add cilantro and/or parsley, zest and juice.
ENJOY!

The other day I could not find my jalapeno's so went without - STILL delishd!
Another time I just plain forgot the zest but gave it a squirt of lemon juice - worked for me!

I think the winning combo here is the fond from the pan, cumin and the red wine with beef stock.

I hope some of you try it and love it as much as I.

 

[taxlady]

Do you make your own beef stock? Or do you know of a good one from the store? I tried one from the store, but it really didn't have much flavour.

 

[dragnlaw]

I have made my own beef stock but not anymore. Was very good and the dogs loved the left over roasted bones. No marrow left but they didn't care. And although tasty, a lot of work when you can buy or use BTB, Bovril, Knorr.

Now I just buy what ever is on sale. 30% less salt. If the resulting recipe is lacking a bit of flavour, then I add a couple of tsp of Bovril Beef Liquid or some BTB.

For this recipe you have the extra flavour of the fond, be it lamb or beef.

 

[taxlady]

So, dragn, you aren't buying beef stock in litre containers, eh? I was hoping you knew of one of those that was tasty. I don't like the ingredients in Bovril or Knorr. I find that stock made with beef BTB has a slightly weird flavour, if I use it at the strength that they recommend. I use their chicken base all. the. time. Kenji Lopez Alt even recommends using chicken stock in place of beef stock if you don't make it yourself.

 

[dragnlaw]

I am and I do buy the 900 mL of beef stock. Honestly never felt there was that much difference between my homemade and purchased. I made it because I like to try all sorts of things, if they turn out better or extraordinarily cheaper, that's great!
But the price of bones now is more or same as ground so it is not more economical, is time consuming (compared to reaching in a cupboard and grabbing a box), storing space in freezer is limited, last but not least - one doesn't have to wait for it to defrost.

I often use Bovril (liquid) in Beef and Chicken to either drink from a mug or make a quick WonTon Soup base.

In my recipe here, it calls for 1 cup beef stock. I make it with only 1 tsp of base, as against their recommended 2 tsp per cup. Then I taste test to see if I want to add more. So depending on which meat and how much fond is in the bottom of the pan, I may or may not add more.

BTW, I find that if I use BTB as recommended it is also far too salty. I find that using too much of any of those products is salty and has a peculiar taste, not necessarily wrong or nasty, but an obvious flavour of .... something.

 

[dragnlaw]

Do you make your own beef stock? Or do you know of a good one from the store? I tried one from the store, but it really didn't have much flavour.

I did try both beef and chicken with the 'No Salt Added' tasted like water with some unidentifiable ingredient. '30% less Salt' is perfect for me. Note: used only as an ingredient in a recipe.

For a clear mug soup, I use the Bovril.

 

[taxlady]

DH likes Bovril for a "French dip" roast beef sandwich. I don't buy it. As I wrote before, I don't like the ingredient list.

Ingredients: Water, Salt, Hydrolyzed soy protein, Monosodium glutamate, Caramel, Corn starch (sulphites), Sugars (sugar, maltodextrin), Yeast extract, Beef extract, Spices, Xanthan gum, Flavour, Dimethylpolysiloxane.

I think the weird flavour in BTB beef base is something to do with the yeast extract, when you get too much of it. But, I don't know that for sure. You are right, it's not bad, just weird.

 

[dragnlaw]

By too much of the yeast extract, do you mean sort of an "unfinished baked bread" taste?

LOL - Think you probably have more "refined" taste buds than I.

 

[taxlady]

By too much of the yeast extract, do you mean sort of an "unfinished baked bread" taste?

LOL - Think you probably have more "refined" taste buds than I.

Maybe, maybe not? It's just a somewhat peculiar flavour that I have sometimes noticed with other stuff that has yeast extract. I might be completely off the mark though.

 

[GotGarlic]

Maybe, maybe not? It's just a somewhat peculiar flavour that I have sometimes noticed with other stuff that has yeast extract. I might be completely off the mark though.

This made me curious, so I looked it up. Yeast extract is the insides of yeast cells with the cell walls removed. If has an umami flavor and it used in Vegemite, among many other things. You might like BTB better if you diluted a more. Sometimes I simmer the broth with other things like a Penzeys seasoning blend or bay leaves.

Move info: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/is-yeast-extract-bad-for-me

 

[taxlady]

This made me curious, so I looked it up. Yeast extract is the insides of yeast cells with the cell walls removed. If has an umami flavor and it used in Vegemite, among many other things. You might like BTB better if you diluted a more. Sometimes I simmer the broth with other things like a Penzeys seasoning blend or bay leaves.

Move info: https://www.healthline.com/health/food-nutrition/is-yeast-extract-bad-for-me

I didn't mean that I was concerned about it healthwise. I meant that I think that is what causes the peculiar flavour. I also wrote that I didn't know for sure that was what causes it. If it is the same flavour as the I am surprised. Or it might have to do with balance of flavours. I have only had, don't remember if it was Vegemite or Marmite, once and I liked it. But, some things get less likeable when you have them repeatedly, so who knows. And now that I think about it, it might be the similarity to 'mite that made me think that it was the yeast extract. It does remind me vaguely of brewer's yeast.

It really is the beef BTB where I find that flavour (quantity of yeast extract? or whatever). I happily use the BTB organic chicken base all the time without noticing odd flavours. I do still use the beef base, but I tend to us 1/4 beef base and 3/4 chicken base. I dilute with homemade veggie stock, rather than plain water.

 

[dragnlaw]

I think you are right taxy. I'm sure you can notice it. Just remember Bovril, in a paste like Vegemite and Marmite, is not available in Quebec. Don't remember why, something to do with labeling I believe. But being British, my ex's family would go to great lengths to get Bovril in a jar,
Perhaps next time DH goes to Cornwall to visit, he might look around for it.

 

[taxlady]

I think you are right taxy. I'm sure you can notice it. Just remember Bovril, in a paste like Vegemite and Marmite, is not available in Quebec. Don't remember why, something to do with labeling I believe. But being British, my ex's family would go to great lengths to get Bovril in a jar,
Perhaps next time DH goes to Cornwall to visit, he might look around for it.

I didn't even realize that Bovril came in a jar, similar in shape to the Marmite jar. I Scottish ex-DH used to drink Bovril tea. I don't remember him ever mentioning the jar version, but he did come to Canada when he was about 18.

 

[taxlady]

Hmm, I just had a look at the ingredients in Marmite and Vegemite. Both of them have yeast extract at the top of the list. I tasted one or the other at a science fiction convention "bid party" (Cities bid to become the host of world SF conventions. They host parties to encourage the convention goers to vote for their city.) I really liked it. So, it's probably not the yeast extract that is the odd flavour.

So, I just checked the ingredient lists for the BTB organic beef base and organic chicken base, to compare them. One has garlic powder the other onion powder. One has celery juice and the other has celery juice concentrate. The chicken one has turmeric. The only other difference is that the beef base has something called "natural flavour". I think I found the culprit. I'm not saying that there is necessarily anything wrong or unhealthy about "natural flavour", but I think it is the choice of which "natural flavour or flavours" that gives it a flavour that I happen to dislike.