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Zouave Sauce
Mince half a pound of onions, fry them lightly in hot fat, drain them, and lay them in a clean stewpan, with half a pint of tomato puree, half a pint of brown sauce, and a table-spoonful each of tarragon vinegar, chilli vinegar, and French wine vinegar. Bring to the boil, skim, add salt to taste, a little French mustard, and Tabasco sauce (sold in bottles). Next stir in a table-spoonful of Indian chutney, and the same of sultana raisins cut into quarters. Simmer till the onions and raisins are tender, adding a little brown stock from time to time to prevent the sauce becoming too thick. Finally, lay in any white meat previously cooked, such as calf's head, veal, rabbit, or tripe, put the cover on, and leave the pan by the side of the fire (below boiling-point) for twenty minutes or so. Dish the meat, give the sauce a boil up, pour it over, and serve.
A sharp, spiced onion-and-tomato sauce built on a classic brown sauce, used here as a way of reheating cooked white meats. The sauce does all the work; the meat is only warmed through.
- Imperial half pintsAn imperial half pint is 10 fl oz, so about 1¼ cups each of tomato purée and brown sauce. Half a pound of onions is two large or three medium onions once peeled.
- Brown sauceThis means espagnole or demi-glace — a roux-thickened brown stock, not bottled steak sauce. A good reduced veal or beef stock thickened lightly with a brown roux gives the right body.
- Tomato puréeTomato purée -- In this period purée means cooked tomatoes passed through a sieve, roughly the consistency of modern passata. Tube concentrate is several times stronger; use about 4 to 5 tablespoons of it loosened with stock, or the sauce will be harsh and dark.
- The flavoured vinegarsTarragon and chilli vinegars were pantry staples and are easily replaced: use plain wine vinegar with a bruised tarragon sprig steeped in it, and wine vinegar with a split dried chilli. Total acid here is three tablespoons, which is assertive by design.
- Indian chutneyProbably a sweet, spiced fruit chutney of the bottled mango type -- fruit, sugar, vinegar and spice. Chop any large pieces before adding.
- The hingeThe meat goes in already cooked and must never boil again. \