Dark jus for steaks, pan-fried dishes and the like

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 1 ½ kg beef bones
• 1 bunch of soup vegetables
• 1 large onion(s) with skin
• 1 liter beef stock, lamb stock, veal stock,…
• 400 ml red wine (spiced red wine)
• 3 tbsp tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves
• 5 allspice berries
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 rosemary sprig(s)
• salt and pepper
• some rapeseed oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 15 hours; Total time approx. 15 hours 20 minutes

Roast the bones on a rack at the highest temperature in the oven until they are well roasted, but do not allow them to blacken. Then let the bones cool. In the meantime, chop the vegetables and onion into large cubes and fry them in oil with the crushed garlic cloves, allspice and peppercorns, and bay leaves. Add the tomato paste and sauté briefly, then deglaze with the spiced red wine in portions, reducing each time. Allow the resulting sauce to cool. Add the bones to the sauce and pour in 2 liters of cold water, or better yet, ice cubes, so that the bones are well covered. Add the rosemary and bring everything to a very slow simmer. Slow heating is important because it draws all the nutrients from the bones. It is best to simmer the bones overnight for at least 12 hours at medium heat. Top up the liquid with water if necessary. After the bones have boiled, reduce the liquid further and finally add the stock. Let the liquid simmer for another hour. Pass the resulting jus through a fine sieve and reduce until the sauce thickens and reaches the desired consistency. Season the jus with salt and pepper. Depending on the intended use, you can also add additional ingredients at this point, such as fried mushrooms, green pepper, etc. This preparation method can also serve as the basis for any other dark sauce. Individual components can easily be swapped or replaced. Your guests will be grateful for this sauce, even if they don’t notice the effort involved. I served it with lamb loin.