One of the masterpieces of Portuguese cuisine that has been loved by millions of housewives around the world is Porto Sauce. I would like to note right away that there is no exact classic recipe. Each time, dishes with this sauce are a culinary improvisation. As a result of adding various ingredients, it turns out to be constantly new and delights gourmet taste buds.
The only unchanging detail in a porto recipe is port. He is given the leading role. It is with this drink that various culinary variations and combinations are made. Portuguese housewives are constantly experimenting with gravy, discovering new shades of flavors. We’ll try today and we will join this action.
To meat
Making porto sauce is unlike the usual technical mixing of ingredients. Mistresses who like to add a touch of fantasy will definitely like this seasoning. Let's start with meat, since most often the sauce is served with it. The meat component can be any - a rabbit or beef, pork or chicken. You can also cook it in different ways: bake in the oven, grill steak in a pan or grill, etc.
List of Essential Ingredients
- 520 ml of port;
- 0.35 lemons;
- 2 vanilla pods;
- 3 fruits of juniper;
- 1 star anise star;
- 0.5 tablespoons (tea) mixture of peppers;
- 3 cloves of garlic;
- 1 stick of cinnamon;
- a pinch of salt.
Cooking
Since the classic recipe for porto sauce implies “proximity” to a piece of meat, this product must be prepared first. After frying, remove the steak to reach. The pan does not need to be washed. Its contents are useful for making gravy.
Pour wine into a pan with a thick bottom. Add all the spices and seasonings listed above. Peel the garlic from the peel, grind it with a press or grater.
Turning on the heating of low power under a frying pan, slowly evaporate the port. A little more than half of the original volume should remain. Cooking time is about one hour. After cooking, the wine should be filtered using a very fine strainer or gauze folded into several layers. So you can remove all the seasonings.
Now the liquid needs to be poured into a pan where the steak was recently grilled. The combined juices from meat and aromatic port with spices will make an incredibly delicious bouquet. Evaporate the mass for another 10-15 minutes. The result is a thick porto sauce, which is no worse than in any Portuguese restaurant.
To vegetables
Gravy can be prepared not only for meat, but also for a vegetable dish. Take broccoli for example. Vegetables with Portuguese sauce are simply unbelievably tasty, juicy and piquant.
Take the following products:
- 160 grams of broccoli;
- a pinch of salt;
- 70 grams of shallots;
- 70 ml of port;
- 20 ml of vegetable oil;
- ground black pepper;
- garlic;
- 6 grams of thyme;
- 10 grams of finely chopped parsley;
- 15 ml of olive oil.
How to cook
Cut shallots into small pieces of small size and fry. For this, we recommend using regular vegetable oil. Olive will be involved later. Mix the fried onion with thyme, grated garlic. Add a pinch of salt.
We shift the mass into the dishes with a thick bottom. We put on the fire. Add port and start evaporating. The amount of fluid should be reduced to 2/3. Turn off the heat under the pan. Leave the porto sauce to “rest”.
While the gravy comes, we cook broccoli. We divide the cabbage into parts, boil in salt water for 10-12 minutes. Pour the water, and transfer the vegetables to the pan. Pour olive oil into it, lightly fry the cabbage until crisp.
Beat the chilled sauce lightly with a mixer. You can add olive oil during whipping. In the center of the dish we spread the fried vegetables and pour them on top with Portuguese gravy. This is how simple and easy the famous porto sauce is made. A recipe with a photo will help novice housewives cope with the task. Try experimenting with various spices.
Additional ingredients
Here is a short list of foods that you can try adding to Portuguese sauce. This will be a small cheat sheet for housewives:
- sweet pepper;
- balsamic vinegar;
- Brown sugar;
- leek;
- rosemary;
- black garlic;
- Tomatoes
- lemon.