The Mother Sauce Series: Espagnole

Espagnole is a basic brown sauce and its name is the French word for Spanish, though there’s virtually nothing Spanish about it. Some cooks and historians claim the name comes from the fact that the sauce was appropriated from Spanish cookbooks, whereas others claim it comes from Spanish cooks insisting on the use of Spanish tomatoes in the recipe at the wedding of Louis XIII and Anne of Austria.
Base: brown stock, i.e. beef or veal
Thickening agent: brown roux
Common seasonings: salt, pepper, mirepoix, tomato puree
Typically served with: roasted beef, duck, lamb, veal

Espagnole is the basis for a number of other sauces such as demi-glace, sauce bourguignonne, sauce chasseur, sauce charcutière, etc. Keep an eye out in the future for more delicious sauce recipes from Kitchen Stories!