Provençale Sauce is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic sauce of capers, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, herbs and spices cooked in a tomato and sherry sauce finished with meat glaze. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Provençale Sauce.
(click this button to prevent the screen from sleeping so Cook Mode is 'ON')
This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Provençale Sauce that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé Francatelli' 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 69.—PROVENCALE SAUCE.
Put into a small stew-pan the following ingredients; viz.,— a spoonful of chopped capers, ditto of chopped raw mushrooms, ditto of chopped shalots, ditto of salad-oil, a clove of garlic, three cloves, a bit of mace, a bay-leaf and thyme, and twenty peppercorns; fry this over the fire for five minutes, stirring it the whole time; then add four ripe tomatas, a glass of sherry, and a piece of glaze the size of a walnut; stir again on the fire until the tomatas are quite dissolved, and after having rubbed the sauce through a tammy or sieve, pour it into a stewpan to be made hot for use. Add a piece of glaze.
Heat the oil in a pan then add the capers, mushrooms, shallots, garlic, cloves, mace, bayleaf, thyme and peppercorns. Fry gently for five minutes, stirring constantly then add the tomatoes, sherry and glaze. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, until the tomatoes have broken down completely.
Rub the sauce through a fine-meshed sieve then pour into a pan and keep hot for use. If desired, you can add another piece of glaze to the sauce just before serving.
