A Boxing Day Sauce for Leftover Turkey

This handy, piquant sauce brightens leftover birds to the point that they become a treat more than an exercise in frugality. If you anticipate a busy day, make the sauce in advance and reheat it when you need it.

-a minced onion

-½ cup turkey, chicken or other poultry stock

-1 heaped teaspoon flour (Wondra preferred)

-1 cup tawny Port

-grated zest and juice of 2 oranges

-½ cup raisins

-¼ teaspoon cayenne

-1 teaspoon cinnamon

-scant ¼ teaspoon ground cloves

-1 teaspoon ground ginger

-1 teaspoon crushed juniper berries

-a grating of nutmeg

-salt and pepper

1. Melt the butter over medium low heat and cook the onion until it softens.
2. Add the stock, raise the heat and reduce the amount of liquid by half.
3. Make a liaison by taking a little of the hot liquid and mixing it with the flour to form a paste.
4. Reduce the heat under the reduced stock to low and slowly fold the liaison back into the liquid: Whisk it vigorously to combine everything into a smooth slurry.
5. Add everything else to the pot, bring it to a boil and then simmer the sauce for a good half hour. Serve hot over cold meat.

Notes:

- Substitute red wine for the Port if you would like a drier sauce.

- Substitute about ½ cup of minced shallots for the onion to increase the piquancy of the sauce if you like.

- The amount of cayenne really is up to you.

- Making the liaison may not really be necessary but it is a good precaution to avoid lumps, especially if you are not using Wondra.

- For a more old-fashioned, thinner eighteenth century style sauce, omit the flour.