chinese five spice gravy

or jus if you prefer. Goes well with any dark meat/poultry.

1 medium sized onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, crushed
2 tbsp chinese 5 spice (*NOT* *schwartz!!!!*)
red wine to deglaze
1 tbsp honey
1 140g tin of tomato puree
1/5 litre of vegetable or chicken stock (preferably not salted)

Sweat the onion in a saucepan (medium heat) for roughly 5 minutes then add the garlic and sweat for another minute. Add the 5 spice powder and stir in. The bottom of the pan will get a little sticky now so deglaze with some red wine. Now add the honey and tomato puree and reduce a little. Add the stock and bring to the boil, then drop the heat and simmer for about half an hour. Then take a Braun Multipractic and liquidise (or stick it in a liquidizer). Finally sieve into a clean saucepan or gravy boat.

I usually use a chicken stock so I don't need to thicken the gravy but I did it once for veggie friends and used vegetable stock and I found that I had to add cornflour (1 tbsp cornflour and 1 tbsp cold water mixed together and added) at the end to give it a little body.

Like most recipes with spices in, this one improves with age. While you can use it straight away, I find a few hours infusing really brings out the 5 spice flavours.

If you want to make your own five spice powder, then click here