How to make Porto sauce at home

Porto sauce is, in fact, an alcoholic additive to various dishes. Most often, it is applicable to meat dishes and desserts. But Porto cannot be considered a universal sauce. Depending on the main dish, recipes for preparing this additive are selected.

What is it and what is it eaten with?

Porto sauce goes well with meat dishes: veal, beef, duck, goose. It also goes well with seafood: shrimp, squid. Presumably, this sauce originally appeared in Portugal.

The sauce is named after the Portuguese port wine that forms its base. Port is a fortified wine that was produced in the Douro Valley in the north-eastern part of Portugal and got its name from the name of one of the most important ports – Porto.

Porto is a sauce where the key component is the alcoholic drink port wine. This dish comes from the city of the same name, a famous metropolis in Portugal. In addition to port wine, the dish includes numerous seasonings, which create a unique combination of flavors.

Classic port for serving with meat

There is no classic sauce recipe as such, but we will give you an approximate composition and recipe. You can always customize it to your taste.

Ingredients:

• one star anise,
• vanilla pod,
• cinnamon stick,
• 1/2 lemon,
• 1/2 liter of port wine,
• 2 junipers,
• no more than half of one teaspoon of pepper mixture seasoning,
• a couple of cloves of garlic.

Step-by-step recipe for classic sauce:

1. The liquid that accumulates after frying meat remains in the pan;
2. Pour alcohol into a thick-walled saucepan, mix with spices, add lemon juice and grated garlic.
3. Steam the liquid until its volume is reduced by 2 thirds.
4. Cool, remove excess spices.
5. Pour into the pan, stir in the liquid that will be retained after processing the meat.
6. It is necessary to simmer the resulting mixture over low heat until the consistency of jam is obtained.

This option is suitable for any red meat, from pork to lamb. For shish kebab, lula kebab or just  for boiled tongue.

Porto with balsamic (dessert option)

This option is suitable both  for pancakes, and as a sauce for duck or meat. All the taste and aroma of the sauce comes from balsamic vinegar.

Composition:

• 750 ml. alcoholic drink,
• 100 gr. shallots, leeks and celery stalks,
• 125 gr. sweet pepper,
• 50 g of sugar.
• olive oil (40 ml),
• concentrated sauce demi-glace (200 grams),
• balsamic vinegar, no more (50 ml).

How to make the sauce:

1. Prepare the vegetables and chop them finely with a knife.
2. Pour oil into a heated bowl, add vegetables, fry for 10 minutes and stir.
3. Add vinegar along with sugar.
4. Slowly pour in the sauce along with the port. Slowly evaporate the mixture until the original volume is reduced by half.

The required consistency will be like medium thick jam.

Vegetable sauce recipe

To prepare vegetable dressing you will need:

• 160 grams of cabbage,
• 70 grams of shallots,
• only 700 ml of alcohol,
• 20 ml of any vegetable oil,
• 15 ml olive,
• a couple of cloves of garlic,
• a few grams of thyme, parsley,
• salt, pepper to taste.

How to prepare the sauce:

1. Turn the shallots into rings, fry in a frying pan with heated oil, mix with crushed garlic cloves, don’t forget to add thyme.
2. Add salt and pepper.
3. Transfer the resulting mixture to the prepared pan, pour in the port wine.
4. When the liquid has reduced by a third, cover it and turn off the burner.
5. Prepare the broccoli and cook in salted water for about 10 minutes. Then quickly fry in oil until crusty.
6. Cool the sauce and beat with a mixer.

You can use broccoli as a serving option. Place them beautifully on a dish and serve with sauce.

Recipe from chef Maxim Grigoriev

Professional chef Maxim Grigoriev offers his own recipe for Portuguese sauce.

Composition:

• star anise,
• one pod of vanilla,
• one stick of cinnamon
• 1/2 lemon,
• a couple of junipers,
• 2 cloves from a head of garlic,
• a mixture of peppers in the amount of half a teaspoon.
• Port wine for this dish will require no more than 500 ml.

Recipe step by step:

1. Use any liquid that accumulates in the pan after cooking the meat.
2. Place the port wine with seasonings in a bowl with a thick bottom. Steam the liquid, bring its volume until reduced by a third.
3. Strain the liquid and remove the seasonings.
4. Pour the remaining alcoholic beverage into the container where the meat was baked or fried.
5. Strain again.