Red currant sauce for meat

Usually, sauces for savory dishes are made based on tomatoes, but there are exceptions. A confirmation of this is the red currant sauce for meat. Its rich translucent color, pronounced sweet-and-sour taste with bright notes of harmonious spices, and thick, viscous texture without a drop of thickeners deserve the highest praise.

Yield: 2 jars (1 jar 250 g + 1 jar 200 g).

Preparation time: 40 minutes + cooling time.

Caloric value: 160 kcal per 100 grams of the dish.

Ingredients

• ripe red currants - 400 g;
• white sugar - 150 g;
• garlic - 15 g;
• hot pepper (both fresh and frozen or dried will do) - a few pieces (to taste);
• nutmeg - 1/3 tsp;
• ground cinnamon - 1/2 tsp;
• whole cloves - 6-7 pcs;
• allspice - 5-6 pcs;
• star anise - 1.5 pcs;
• rock salt - 1.5 tsp (may need a little more).

Jars for storing the sauce should be clean and dry. You can skip sterilizing them beforehand - this thermal treatment will occur together with the sauce.

Preparation

1. Prepare the specified ingredients.

2. Remove the buds from the washed currant branches.

3. Sprinkle them with sugar.

4. Add the chopped garlic and hot pepper. The combination of sweet, sour, and spicy will form the flavor base, to which other spices will be added for a bolder taste.

5. Season the mixture with grated nutmeg.

6. Add the remaining spices, crushing the star anise with your fingers.

7. Blend the formed mixture with a blender.

8. Place the resulting mixture in a saucepan with a thick bottom and put it on high heat. The boiling foam will rise actively, and the mass needs to be stirred constantly for 10 minutes. By the end of this period, the sauce will noticeably thicken.

9. Transfer the hot mass to a sieve for straining. The spice pieces and currant pits will remain in the pulp.

10. The resulting sauce, while hot, is still rather liquid. At this stage, taste it and, if necessary, add a little more salt. After cooling, the mass will become denser.

11. Pour the finished product into jars.

12. Place them in an appropriately sized pot (line the bottom with a cotton cloth), and since the sauce is hot, pour in hot water as well. Sterilize the mixture for 7 minutes. Seal the jars.

The jars should be stored in a cool place (the refrigerator is best for this) until next summer. However, they are unlikely to last that long, as the red currant sauce for meat, combined with its smooth and sweet-spicy texture, is incredibly delicious and thus consumed quickly.