Yesterday I had a very nice man arrive at my door carrying a bag overflowing with fresh vegetables and greens. A local farm has a delivery program where I get one of these delicious bags every week! I am so excited about trying new things and eating healthier. Last night I made roasted veggies and chicken with a white wine sauce.
Roasted vegetables are one of the easiest dishes to make. Just chop them up, toss them with some olive oil, black pepper and salt, and roast them at 375°F for about 45 minutes. They come out of the oven fork-tender and oh so savory.
Having had a very stressful day at work, I had stopped by the local package store and picked up a bottle of vino. Hey, sometimes a girl just needs a little glass of wine to make her day seem not so bad (although my fresh veggies helped with that too). I figured that since I wasn’t planning on taking down the whole bottle, I would make a white wine sauce to go with some grilled chicken. I turned to Julia Child for help, and I was’t disappointed. My sauce turned out creamy and delicious. Also in the way of sauces, it wasn’t all that fattening either!
Herbal White Wine Sauce
Ingredients
3 tablespoons butter, reserve 1 tablespoon and soften
2 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
white pepper
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons dried herbs
2 tablespoons minced shallots or green onions
In a small saucepan, bring the milk to a boil. In another small saucepan, bring the wine, herbs, and shallots or onions to a boil. Keep at a boil for 10 minutes until it has reduced by about 3 tablespoons.
Meanwhile, in a large heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Blend in the flour, and cook slowly, stirring, until the butter and flour froth together for 2 minutes without coloring. (Note: Julia calls this a white roux). Remove from heat. As soon as the mixture stops bubbling, pour in all the hot liquid at once. Immediately beat vigorously with a whisk to blend the liquid and roux. Set the saucepan over moderately high heat and stir with the whisk until the sauce comes to the boil. Boil for 1 minute, stirring.
Remove from heat, and beat in salt and pepper to taste.
The wine should be finished boiling by now. Strain through a fine sieve into the white sauce, pressing on the herbs to get all of the juice out. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes. Off heat, and just before serving, stir in the remaining 1 tablespoon of softened butter. (Note: you could also toss in some fresh herbs at this point, too. Some fresh parsley or tarragon would be nice).
One more thing…..I have beets in my fridge now….any ideas? I’m thinking about pickling them. I would love your suggestions!
