Another Red Wine Reduction

My kitchen experiments with wine continue, and as I gain confidence, I am having better results. Tonight was one of those dinner emergencies that often create wonderful culinary experiences. I was going to make Italian sausage with onions and red peppers over rice, and sadly when I pulled the sausage out of the fridge, it had expired a week ago - on the same day I bought it. Shame on me for not checking, and shame on the high-end market where I bought it. Fortunately, the sausage was sitting on the same shelf with some butternut squash ravioli I just bought (I prefer my homemade version, but rarely have time to roast the butternut squash and make the pasta dough...) so I had an immediate vision of that ravioli in another red wine reduction sauce.

I decided to try the ravioli with a different version of the red wine reduction I last made, and it really turned out well. This version was even more rich and flavorful, and would have gone better with my homemade ravioli which has a stronger, smokier flavor. It also would go well with roasted or grilled salmon, or even a pork roast. Here it is:

Fran's Red Wine Reduction #2

1 1/2 Tbl. extra virgin olive oil
1 sweet onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 Tbl. maple syrup
1 750 ml bottle red wine (I used Bogle Petite Syrah)
1 500 ml bottle ruby (red) port (I used Bogle Petite Syrah Port)
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Tbl. butter
2 Tbl. flour
1/2 C toasted, chopped pecans (optional)

Heat a 6-qt heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high heat. Add olive oil and heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until golden, 8-10 minutes, adjusting heat as needed.
Add wine, port, and maple syrup, stir and simmer over medium to medium-low heat for about 1 hour, until reduced to 1 quart.
Strain sauce into 3-qt. saucepan, place over medium to medium-low heat and simmer until reduced to 2 cups. Taste sauce, add salt & pepper to taste, adjust sweetness as needed.
Make a roux in a small saucepan: melt butter and add flour, cook and stir over medium heat until mixture begins to brown, remove from heat.
Add a little of the wine reduction to the roux, blend with whisk. Add to reduction sauce, blend well with whisk.
Continue simmering sauce until desired consistency; add toasted, chopped pecans if using.

Enjoy!