Sunday Gravy

Chilly Winter weekends call for comfort food. And for me, nothing is quite as comforting as a giant bowl of pasta.

My Nana was a great home cook. She came from an Italian American household, and married an Italian American man. So naturally, everything coming out of her kitchen was, indeed, Italian. In fact, Nana felt anything Italian was wildly superior to all else. In the event that she might enjoy something that wasn't quite classically Italian, she's simply slap "Italian" in front of the name of her dish or ingredient and, voila, problem solved!

Pasta hit the table at absolutely any family gathering. Actually, to describe it just simply as a pasta dinner makes it sound meager when, in fact, it was anything but. Gnocchi, meatballs, manicotti, sausages and more always made an appearance. And the culinary glue holding this meal together - gravy. No, not "tomato sauce." Gravy. Except... do me a favor and repeat that last word in your best Philly accent. To this day, I can't smell gravy and meatballs simmering on the stove without immediately being transported back to my Nana's kitchen.

So in honor of Nana this holiday season, I tried my hand at a Sunday Gravy. A big ol' pot full of savory tomato sauce, tender meatballs, and Italian sausage.

Mangia!

Sunday Gravy

Ingredients

For the meatballs

· 1 tbsp olive oil

· 1 small onion, diced fine

· 2 garlic cloves, minced

· 1 cup sandwich bread, diced fine

· 1/3 cup milk

· 2 eggs, whisked

· 1 cup pecorino romano

· 2 tsp salt

· ½ tsp pepper

· 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh parsley

· 2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

· 1lb lean ground beef

· 1lb ground pork

For the gravy

· 2 tbsp olive oil

· 5 Italian sausage links, mild or hot

· 1 large onion, diced fine

· 1 large carrot, minced

· 1 celery stalk, minced

· 6 cloves garlic, minced

· 2 tbsp tomato paste

· ½ cup dry red wine

· 1 cups chicken stock

· 56oz crushed San Marzano tomatoes

· 1 tbsp sugar

· 1 tsp salt

· ½ tsp black pepper

· 1 large bunch of basil, stems included

· 3-4 in parmesan rind

· 3lbs cooked pasta (gnocchi, tortellini, fettucine, rigatoni)

· ½ cup pecorino romano, grated

For the meatballs… Preheat oven to 425F. Add the olive oil to a large dutch oven or stock pot and heat over medium low. Add the onions and garlic and cook until the onions are just translucent. Remove from the heat and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, combine the bread, milk, eggs, pecorino romano, salt, pepper, parsley, and basil. Add the cooked onions and garlic. Smear the bread mixture up the sides of the bowl. Once thoroughly mixed, add the ground beef and pork to the bowl. Using two forks break apart and “fluff” the meats. Using a spatula begin to fold the bread mixture into the meats. Use long slicing motions through the meat. Take care not to over mix or compact the meat to avoid tough meatballs.

Once the bread mixture is evenly distributed into the beef and pork, form the meatballs using a 2in ice cream scoop. Roll the balls in your hands to smooth the edges. Place the meatballs on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until the meatballs are cooked through.

For the gravy… while the meatballs are cooking, prepare the gravy.

In the same pot that you cooked the onions, heat another 2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the sausage links to the pot. Brown the sausages on both sides and remove from the pot and set aside. The sausages will not be fully cooked.

Reduce the heat to low and add the onion, carrots, celery, and garlic. Sautee until the onions are translucent and then add the tomato paste. Fry the past for about 2 minutes. Over medium heat, deglaze the pan with red wine. Using a wooden spoon or rubber spatula, scrap the bottom of the pot to release any brown sausage bits. Continue to cook until most of the wine has evaporated.

Stir in the chicken stock, crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt, pepper, fresh basil, and parmesan rind. Return the sausages to the pot. Add the roasted meatballs. Bring the sauce to a hard simmer over medium to medium high heat. Then reduce to low and cover. Simmer for at least 4 hours stirring every so often.

Before serving, remove the sausages from the pot and slice into bite-sized pieces. Return the sausage to the pot.

Serve family style. Spoon the gravy over your favorite cooked pasta in a very large serving bowl. Garnish with pecorino romano cheese.

Serves 10-12

Notes

Usually I’m a big fan of substituting ground turkey for beef or pork and lighten up the dish. Resist the urge for this particular recipe; the depth of flavor simply isn’t there. Lean in and enjoy a bit of luxury.

If you're not looking to feed an army, this sauce freezes wonderfully!

GF Friendly

Gluten Free Friendly!

Swap the bread for a GF sandwich bread like Scharr. Serve with your favorite gluten free pasta or gnocchi.