Explosively delicious

It turns out the true Wow-Wow Sauce was invented by the early-19th-century foodie, William Kitchiner. His "Cook's Oracle" was a bestseller in England and America throughout the 1800s.

A practical home cook, scientist, and renaissance man, Kitchiner entertained a wide circle of friends in London. He went about with his "portable cabinet of taste," a selection of special sauces and condiments. He was an eccentric worthy of a Pratchett novel himself.

Kitchiner's quaintly worded recipe remains usable today. "Wow Wow Sauce for Stewed or Bouilli Beef (No. 328)," it begins. "Chop some Parsley-leaves very finely, quarter two or three pickled Cucumbers or Walnuts, and divide them into small squares, and set them by ready; – put into a saucepan a bit of Butter as big as an egg; when it is melted, stir to it a tablespoon of fine Flour...." and so on.

This definitely sounded scrummy and not the least bit dangerous. So let me assure you, this story has a happy ending.

Despite the demonic laughter from the kitchen, Wow-Wow Sauce elicited a thumbs-up from the chef's meat-loving younger brother and accolades from his gastronomically minded father.

Although this sauce ends up looking like, uh, mud, it tastes "quite noshable," as Pachi says. Nanny Ogg would not call it a "genuine" Wow-Wow Sauce, nor could it be used for "breaking up small rocks" or "getting rid of tree roots," like Mustrum Ridcully's version in Pratchett's "Reaper Man." But it does complement roast beef so well that, to quote Nanny Ogg, "It will make the steer glad it went to all that trouble." The "magical elixirs" should be started the day before preparing the sauce:

Wow-Wow Sauce

Mushroom Concentrate

10 white mushrooms, cleaned and chopped

Salt

Place mushrooms in a small bowl and sprinkle with salt. Let them sit 3 hours and then smash them with a potato masher to help extract the juice. Let them sit, covered, overnight.

Pickled Walnuts

1/3 cup walnuts, chopped

Sherry vinegar

In a small bowl, cover walnuts with sherry vinegar. Leave to marinate overnight.

The Sauce

Mushroom Concentrate

(see recipe)

1-3/4 cups beef broth

, divided

Pepper

2 tablespoons butter

2-1/2 tablespoons flour

Pickled Walnuts (see recipe)

1-1/2 tablespoons

stone-ground mustard

1 tablespoon

dill pickle, chopped

2 tablespoons beef broth

1 tablespoon

parsley, chopped

Drain the mushrooms and chop them into small pieces. Place them in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add 1/4 cup of the beef broth and pepper to taste. Simmer until the mixture has cooked down to one-half its volume and most of the liquid has evaporated.

Add the butter. When it has melted, add the flour and stir about two minutes. Gradually stir in 1 cup of beef broth to make a thick sauce.

Drain the walnuts, chop them fine, and add them to the sauce, along with the remaining ingredients. Add the remaining 1/2 cup of broth and simmer about 5 minutes.

Makes about 1-1/2 cups.

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