Meat Gravy the French Call Espagnole Sauce

Ingredients

• kg lean beef, with bone
• L water
• lardone (cured pork fat) and prosciutto
• butter
• onion
• salt
• clove
• sugar
• carrot
• herb bundle
• potato flour and butter

Instructions

1. From 1 kg lean beef with bone, cut 400 g into thin slices; make broth from the rest with ~1.5 L water.
2. Line a pan with cured pork fat and prosciutto, add butter and chopped onion, lay the slices on top and brown over lively heat.
3. Moisten with ladles of broth as it colors on each side; season with salt, a clove or crushed peppercorns, and a teaspoon of sugar.
4. Add the rest of the broth, a sliced carrot and an herb bundle; simmer gently ~2 hours, then remove the meat, strain and degrease.
5. Use to moisten soups or vegetables, or thicken with a potato-flour-and-butter roux to dress drained minestre.