Stragotto Sauce is a traditional British recipe, based on Charles Elmé Francatelli's recipe of 1861, for a classic sauce of ham, game meat and vegetables that are fried until brown and finished with Madeira or sherry, tomato pulp, meat stock and meat glaze and which is sieved and stored until needed. The full recipe is presented here and I hope you enjoy this classic British version of: Stragotto Sauce.
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This is a classic recipe for a Victorian version of Stragotto Sauce that's derived from the chef, Charles Elmé's 1861 volume, The Cook's Guide and Housekeeper's & Butler's Assistant. After a bit of culinary detective work I've linked this sauce recipe to the Roman-Jewish dish Stracotto/Stracatto, a version of which will soon be presented on this site. Below you will find both the recipe in its original form and a modern redaction.
Original Recipe
No. 89.—STRAGOTTO SAUCE.
Take an ounce of each of the following ingredients, viz.: raw ham, red part of a carrot, celery-root, parsley-roots, shalots, of raw game four ounces, one clove of garlic, twenty peppercorns, four cloves, a bit of mace;— the ham, &c., must be cut up into very small pieces,—put the whole of the before-mentioned ingredients into a stewpan with two tablespoonsful of salad-oil, a bay-leaf, and some thyme, and fry them brown; then add a gill of madeira or sherry, half a pint of Tomata pulp, half a pint of good stock, and four ounces of glaze; stir the Stragotto over the fire for twenty minutes, rub it through a sieve or tammy, and keep it in gallipots covered over with lard in a cool place, to be used as occasion requires, for Italian dishes only.
Modern Redaction
Ingredients:
30g raw ham, finely chopped
30g carrots, finely chopped
30g celeriac, finely chopped
30g parsley roots, finely chopped
30g shallots, finely chopped
120g raw game meat, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
20 black peppercorns
4 cloves
1/4 tsp ground mace
2 tbsp olive oil
1 bayleaf
1 sprig of thyme
140ml Madeira wine (or sherry)
300ml chopped tomatoes (from a tin) — with juice
300ml good stock
120g of the glaze made in the economy of second stocks or broth recipe
Method:
Heat the olive oil in a pan then add the ham, carrots, celeriac, parsley roots, shallots, game meat, garlic, black peppercorns, cloves and mace. Stir to combine then add the bayleaf and thyme. Fry for about 8 minutes, or until browned then add the Madeira (or sherry) and the chopped tomatoes and their juice.
Now stir in the stock and the glaze. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring frequently, for 20 minutes. Take off the heat and rub through a fine-meshed sieve then allow to cool, pour into jars, secure the lids and store in the refrigerator.
