The other evening I wanted a sauce to go on some leftover meatloaf. But I wanted to fancy the meatloaf up a bit, without going to too much trouble. So I went on-line looking for a sauce/gravy recipe that included dried mushrooms. (I love to use dried mushrooms.) I came upon this recipe from Epicurious and knew I had found the new love of my life! The ingredients were perfect, so I cut the recipe in half and proceeded to the stove.

Well, I have to tell you, this is one of the best sauces I have ever tasted, and it’s darned easy to make. I changed the preparation instructions quite a bit, and eliminated 1 ingredient, but this is an Epicurious recipe at its finest.

So if you ever want a delightful sauce to enhance a piece of roast beef, ground beef pattie, or simple meatloaf, I would recommend you give this a try.

And for those of you who love sauces, make a double batch. I cut the recipe in half because I only had a small bit of meatloaf that needed a little “something”. Next time I will double the recipe even if I have to eat it on toast the next morning. It is simply that good! Thank you Epicurious

• ¾ oz. dried porcini mushrooms, broken up (about 3/4 cup loosely packed pieces)
• ½ c. warm water
• 1 T. extra virgin olive oil
• ½ c. chopped onion
• ¼ tsp. kosher salt
• freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• ¼ c. sweet Marsala (and yes, Marsala comes in sweet and dry)
• ¼ c. dry white wine
• ½ tsp. finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 1 c. beef broth
• ½ T. unsalted butter, room temperature
• ½ T. flour

Combine dried mushroom pieces and water in a bowl. Let sit for 30 minutes. Strain and squeeze the mushrooms reserving the water. Place re-hydrated mushrooms in another bowl. Set aside.

Heat the olive oil to medium in a large heavy pan. Add the chopped onion and cook until translucent and thoroughly cooked through, about 15 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the Marsala and white wine. Cook over medium-high heat until the liquid is evaporated. Add the rosemary, mushrooms, mushroom liquid (don’t use the sediment), and the beef stock. Simmer until only about a cup remains, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, using a table fork, mush the butter and flour together. When the sauce is reduced, whisk the beurre manié into the liquid and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 2 minutes. Adjust seasoning.

Note: Beurre manié is merely a fancy sounding name for a mixture which means “kneaded butter” in French. When equal parts butter and flour are combined, beurre manié is one of the best ways to thicken a sauce, gravy, or soup.