Sauce of Black Grapes

Crush grapes (this can be done with a mortar and pestle, or by pulsing them a couple of times in a food processor). Put grapes, water, wine, and spices into a saucepot and simmer until the sauce reduces a bit. Serve with your choice of roast.

Original Recipe Sources

Source [Opera dell'arte del cucinare , Bartolomeo Scappi]; Per fare sapore d'uva negra Cap CCLXXIIII. Piglisi l'uva negra, che habbia del sodo, & sia quella che si chaima gropello, cio cesense, che ha le coste rosse, sughinosi i raspi, & mettanosi a bollire nella cazzuola con foco lento per un'hora, & dapoi piglisi il sugo che tal'uva haver fatto, & colisi per una stamigna, & per ogni libra di sugo, piglinosi otto oncie di zuccaro fino, & facciasi ribollire in una cazzuola, schiumandolo, & con esso si aggiungera all'ultimo un poco di sale, & cannella intera, & facciasi bollire a foco lento, tanto che pigli la cottura, & come sar cotto, conservisi in vasi di vetro, o alberelli invetriati.

Source [Opera dell'arte del cucinare , Bartolomeo Scappi; Louise Smithson (trans.)]; To make sauce of black grapes Scappi Cap CCLXXIIII folio 95, 2nd book Take black grapes, that are firm, those that are called "gropello", that is "cesenese", that have a red skin, break them and put to boil in a casserole on a low fire for an hour. After take the juice that they have made and strain through a sieve. And for every pound of juice take eight ounces of fine sugar and put it to reboil in a casserole, scum it well and to this add at the end a little salt and whole cinnamon and let it boil on a slow fire until it takes the cooking (the implication here is that the sauce reduces and becomes syrupy) and when it is cooked conserve it in a glass or glazed pottery vessel.