Steak in red wine sauce

Steak in red wine sauce

A versatile sauce great on lots of meat dishes, and perfect for steak - a comforting main for a dinner party.

Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Makes 850ml-1.2 litres/1½-2 pints

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 - 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the garlic, vegetables and herbs, and cook on a medium heat until they soften and begin to colour. Heat a drop of olive oil in a frying pan. Season the beef trimmings and fry until coloured and sealed all over. Add the meat to the vegetables.
  2. Pour 1-2 glasses of wine into the frying pan in which you have cooked the meat. Bring this to the boil, scraping and lifting all the meat residue from the bottom of the pan. Pour the liquid into the pan that contains the meat and vegetables. Let the pan's contents bubble until the wine has reduced by three-quarters.
  3. Now add and reduce the rest of the wine, 1-2 glasses at a time. If you tip it all in at once, you wash the vegetables and meat of their roasted edge, so their flavour in the finished sauce is bland. Reduce by three-quarters, glass by glass until all the wine is used.
  4. Now add the beef jus, bring to a simmer and cook gently for 45 mins to 1 hr. Regularly skim away any impurities by weaving a small ladle in and out of the top of the sauce. Taste regularly and when you are happy with the flavour, strain the sauce through a fine sieve, squeezing out all the juices from the meat and vegetables.
  5. Ideally, also pass the sauce through a sieve lined with a piece of muslin, which will help remove fine impurities. Check for seasoning. You can make ahead up to this point, cool and refrigerate or freeze.
  6. Heat a grill or pan to hot, smear the steaks with oil and cook them, turning once, 4-5 mins for rare, 7-8 mins for medium, 8-10 mins for well done. Serve the steaks on a bed of wilted spinach with sticky shallots and pour the red wine sauce around. Mashed potatoes make a good accompaniment to this.
Try

Gary's tip

The base of this sauce is a jus, a reduction of quality beef stock that gains its strength and character as the liquid bubbles down. Beef consommé is a great substitute. Extra depth for the sauce comes from adding more beef and red wine.

328 kcalories, protein 44.0g, carbohydrate 0.0g, fat 12.0 g, saturated fat 5.0g, fibre 0.0g, salt 2.94 g

Recipe from Good Food magazine, April 2006.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • Binder photo Mick

    09 August 2008

    Mick rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This has to be one of the best tasting sauces i have ever made and easy as well; i used it with aberdeen angus steaks and added a layer of very creamy mash, i am doing it again tonight.

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  • Binder photo Nicky

    04 January 2009

    Nicky rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    I made this new years eve. The compliments flew in!! I served with baby roast potatoes & steamed spinach! Definately make again.

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  • Binder photo Flame

    24 March 2009

    Flame rated and commented on this recipe

    4 stars

    Rich, elegant, gastropubbish. Worked well for a date. The sauce is quite time-consuming, and is vastly improved with straining as it becomes much more attractive to look at with a cleaner texture.

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  • Binder photo dimples

    13 September 2009

    dimples rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    This is the best red wine sauce ever! Worth the time needed, especially as you get to taste the wine before it goes into the mix!

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  • Binder photo Julie Green

    03 April 2010

    Julie Green commented on this recipe

    I have tried this recipe three times now and its absolutely gorgeous. The jus is as good as any al a carte restaurant and is devine. I served with saute potatoes and the steak served on a bed of savoy cabbage......YUM

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  • Binder photo GingerPrince

    22 August 2010

    GingerPrince rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    not sure what I did wrong but this wasn't good. the sauce was a right palaver and really not worth the effort. it was far too salty and very bland. waste of a good bottle of wine!

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  • Binder photo Willif

    05 February 2011

    Willif rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    Tried this recipe today 3, out of 4 guests loved it, I personally found the sauce too sharp and a lot of work for what it was.

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  • Binder photo Little vik

    24 September 2012

    Little vik rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Yum yum yum. Used a leek instead of shallots and added a carrot. Had it with filet, roast pots, carrots, parsnips and cauliflower cheese. Amazing! Got a lovely big bag full in the freezer too.

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  • Binder photo Lucy

    07 April 2013

    Lucy rated and commented on this recipe

    5 stars

    Made it this evening for my family and OMG WE TOTALLY LOVE IT!! It's also way easier to prepare than what I'd expected :) it does need quite some time to but the result is definitely worth it!! in overall it's WONDERFULL! therefore Gary Rhodes, THANK YOU!! We really appreciate it^^

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Difficulty and servings

For the keen cook

Makes 850ml-1.2 litres/1½-2 pints

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 20 - 30 mins

Cook time

Cook 1 hr 20 mins

Freezable

Perfect sauce for steak

Ingredients

  • 6 fillet steaks

FOR THE RED WINE SAUCE

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328 kcalories, protein 44.0g, carbohydrate 0.0g, fat 12.0 g, saturated fat 5.0g, fibre 0.0g, salt 2.94 g

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