Mushroom & Red Wine Sauce

(about 4 servings)

Mushrooms are in season in Texas at the moment and on sale practically everywhere I've seen them. I grabbed a little over a pound to make this quick and easy sauce. Every time I make this, it's a bit different. You can swap out the rosemary for thyme or sage. You can add finely chopped shallots along with the garlic and lastly if you prefer something a bit richer then stir in a tablespoon or two of heavy cream right at the end taking care not to let the sauce come to a boil after you do so.

Regardless how you make it, the finished sauce is great with meat or poultry or over a bed of rice or pasta. Listed below are the ingredients for the way I made it this time. I used beef broth, but you can replace that with mushroom or vegetable broth for a vegetarian meal.

3 tbsp butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 lb mushrooms, cut up or sliced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
freshly cracked black pepper
1 cup dry red wine
1 cup beef, mushroom or vegetable broth
splash of wine
1 tbsp corn starch
salt, to taste

Melt the butter over medium heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the garlic and fry for about 30 seconds.

Add the mushrooms and increase the heat slightly. Fry the mushrooms while stirring them until they begin to let go of their moisture. Stir in the rosemary and pepper.

Pour in the red wine and broth. Simmer the mushrooms briskly for about 6-10 minutes or until the liquid has reduced by about one third.

Combine the splash of wine with the cornstarch until the mixture is smooth. Stir in a few tablespoons of hot liquid from the mushrooms and then pour all of it back into the skillet. Stir until the sauce has thickened; about 1-2 minutes.

Check seasoning and add salt, if needed. Remove from heat.

Serve as a side with meat or poultry or over a bed of rice or pasta.