Hearty light sauce for pan-fried meat

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 30 g butter
• 1 tsp sugar, brown (alternatively: sugar beet syrup)
• 1 tbsp, stripped flour, (type 405)
• 1 shallot(s), finely diced approx. 30 g
• 1 carrot(s), finely diced, approx. 80 g
• 1 stalk(s) celery, finely diced, approx. 60g
• 1 stalk(s) leek, cut into fine rings, approx. 80 g
• 30 ml vermouth (Noilly Prat)
• 4 slice(s) chili pepper(s), (2mm wide and without seeds)
• 1 clove(s) garlic, peeled, crushed
• 1 tbsp tomato paste
• 70 ml white wine, semi-dry or dry
• 500 ml beef broth or chicken broth
• 2 sprigs of thyme or rosemary
• 4 black peppercorns, ground
• 1 clove(s), ground
• 2 cardamom pods, ground
• 2 pieces allspice, ground
• 1 tbsp cornstarch
• some lemon peel, grated
• 1 tbsp chives, in rolls
• some salt

Instructions

Working time approx. 15 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 30 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

e.g. fillet, pork loin steak, lobster piece, roast salmon, etc. (without e-building blocks and artificial flavor enhancers)

Sauté the onions in the butter. Add the syrup or sugar and dust with flour. Sauté the finely diced vegetables (carrot, celery, leek) and garlic. When a sticky residue forms on the bottom of the pan, deglaze with the vermouth. Add the tomato paste; when it starts to stick again, add the wine. Then top up with stock (beef stock, chicken stock) and simmer gently over medium heat. Add the chili strips and herbs (rosemary, thyme). In the meantime, briefly roast the peppercorns, cardamom, allspice, and cloves in a small pan or similar without fat until fragrant. Then grind them finely in a mortar and pestle and use them to season the stock/sauce base. After 20 minutes, puree the sauce base with a hand blender and then pass it through a fine sieve (hair sieve) using a ladle (soup ladle). Allow the stock to reduce slightly and thicken with dissolved cornstarch if necessary. Season the sauce with salt and a little grated lemon zest and garnish with chives. 1st variation: Green peppercorn sauce: Add 1 tbsp of green, pickled peppercorns after straining. 2nd variation: Mushroom sauce: Sauté approx. 500g of small, white mushrooms with a finely diced onion in clarified butter, sprinkle with a little powdered sugar, season with salt and pepper, and toss well several times (keep warm in the oven at 100°C if necessary). After straining, add to the finished sauce.