Red Wine, Tomato & Rosemary Sauce

This is a fat-free, oil-free sauce that doesn’t taste like it’s missing anything. The vegetables get water-sautéed instead of cooked in oil, then a long simmer with red wine, tomato paste, and a generous handful of fresh rosemary builds the kind of depth most people associate with butter-based sauces.

The arrowroot finish is the move that puts this in a different class. Whisked into cold water and stirred slowly into the simmering sauce, arrowroot thickens without the cloudy, starchy taste of a flour-based roux. The result is a sauce that goes glossy and clear, more like a French demi-glace than a tomato sauce.

Use this over grilled meats, roasted vegetables, polenta, or as an unconventional pasta sauce that’s lighter than a typical marinara. Two tablespoons of red wine vinegar at the end sharpen the whole thing.

Pro Tips

• Use a wine you’d happily drink. The flavor concentrates as it reduces, so cheap or off wine ruins the sauce.
• Dissolve arrowroot in cold water before adding; hot water causes it to clump.
• Don’t boil the sauce after adding arrowroot. Hard boiling breaks down the starch and the sauce thins back out.
• Make ahead. The flavor improves significantly after a night in the fridge.

Variations

• Swap arrowroot for cornstarch at the same ratio if arrowroot isn’t available.
• Add 8 ounces of sliced mushrooms with the mirepoix for more body and umami depth.
• Stir in a tablespoon of butter at the end (off-heat) for a richer, glossier finish if fat is no longer a concern.