Step 1

Wash, peel and cut the carrot and onions in a mirepoix ( cubed of 1cm square roughly)diced the bacon in a mirepoix as well. peel the garlic and prepare you bouquet garni by tying up a few parsley stokes, thym twigs and 2 bayleaves together.

Step 2

using a large sauce pan on low to medium heat, start by frying the bacon and the butter together for around 2 minutes. Add the carrot and onions and fry for another 2 or 3 minutes. add now all of the flour in and mix well. now leave that roux to cook for 6 minutes until it get a nice light brown colour. finish off by adding the tomato paste and let it cook for a minute or so to get rid of the acidity. when done leave that roux to cool down totally

Step 3

Pour all of the stock in a separate saucepan and bring it the boil slowly. Once it reaches boiling point, leave the stock to simmer until your roux is cold ( or at least reach room temperature)

Step 4

Pour all of the warm stock over your cold roux stirring slowly with a whisk. when all the stock is in, bring it to the boil. as soon as it reaches the boil lower you heat to a simmer, add in the chopped tomatoes, the garlic, bouquet garni and mushroom pieces ( optional) and stir well.

Step 5

cover the saucepan with the sauce with a lid and leave to cook for 2 hours.

Step 6

after 2 hours of cooking pass the sauce through a chinois or sieve into a clean. season to taste, you are done.at this stage you can either finish it off by adding a nudge of butter and use the sauce immediately. or you can further reduce the espagnole to a demi-glaze ( reducing it by another quarter or so).that sauce can frozen for further use as well.