Jim's Galley: Cooking With Wine, Jims Sunday Gravy! (with credit to Aunt Jeanie RIP)

If you surveyed 10 different grandmothers from Naples Italy you may get a slight variation on this classic and authentic Sunday gravy. What a lot of the general public does not realize is the history of Italian cooking stems from the basic fact is that much of the ingredients used in recipes are all locally produced and fresh. From the Buffalo Cheese, to the veal, to the San Marzano tomatoes, to even the flour, historically is all locally produced and fresh.

So trying to duplicate something like a Neapolitan pizza one must find the 00 imported flour, have a wood fired brick oven, and the list goes on and on. Making Sunday gravy is a bit easier because most of the ingredients can be sourced from your local supermarket with no special ovens or flour needed.

For many years I have tried to perfect the perfect Sunday Gravy and as of this post, I believe success has been achieved. No doubt, this is the best spaghetti you will ever have and the sauce and meat can be used for a variety of dishes.

They say time heals all wounds. One thing is for sure, it takes time, and a lot of it to make the perfect Sunday Gravy. How much time? Well, once all the groceries are purchased and sitting in the kitchen ready to cook, allow yourself 10 hours. Maybe more.

One can watch all 3 Godfather films while making Sunday Gravy

Here we go. First start the sauce in the morning.

Sauce:

1 #10 can of Italian plum tomatoes (San Marzano if available)

1 16 ounce can of tomato paste

2 cans of crushed tomato

3 tablespoons of very good extra virgin olive oil

2 cups of water

2-3 cups of red wine (Pino or Merlot)

5 cloves of garlic crushed

1 large onion peeled and chopped

2 cups of chopped basil

1 teaspoon of oregano

6 sprigs of thyme

3 shallots chopped

2 tablespoons of sugar

How to cook the sauce

First get a LARGE heavy pot to cook in. Make sure the pot is large enough so that when all the tomatoes are added the pot is only a little over half full. The reason is you will be adding a LOT more ingredients and you need the room, so use the largest pot you have. I have used the base of a crab steamer and that sorta worked, but it was really too thin. When I got remarried, my wife is half Italian, and she had the perfect heavy sauce pot for Sunday Gravy.

Start by adding olive oil to the medium high heated pot. Then add the garlic, chives, and onion. Cook until tender then deglaze with red wine.

Next hand crush all the tomatoes and add them as well as the remaining ingredients. Cook on medium heat with the lid off. Cook this way until all of the meats are cooked and added, then cover the pot.

Meat Balls:

2 pound of ground veal

1 pound ground pork

1 pound ground beef 80/20

3 large eggs

1 tablespoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon ground black pepper

1 tablespoon Sea Salt

2 cups fresh chopped Italian Parsley

2 tablespoons oregano

1 cup finely chopped fresh basil

4 pieces of white bread (soaked in water for two minutes)

2 cups of Italian bread crumbs

1 teaspoon of sugar

1 1\2 cup of good parmesan cheese

How to cook the meatballs

First mix all the ingredients and be sure to strain out the water from the wetted white bread. This damp bread is an extra source of moister and also helps to bind the meatball. Mix everything by hand then roll out each meatball into a little larger than a golf size meatball.

Next, heat a CAST ITON SKILLET then fill the bottom of the skillet with olive oil. Add the meatballs and brown both side of the meatball. Then drain the meatballs on a paper towel and then add them to the sauce. Keep the heat on because we are going to continue to cook the meats.

Sautéed Meats

4 chops of pork

4 veal chops bone in

4 flankin ribs bone in

10 sweet Italian sausages

How to cook

First clean the meats and trim off ANY fat especially on the veal. Season with garlic and Italian seasoning. Then sautee all the meats in the cast iron skillet. What you are looking for is a nice browning on each side of the meat. Once cooked, cut the meats in half drain on paper towels then add to the sauce.

Note: Precooking tip on the pork chops. It is a good idea to cook the chops in a crock pot or in an oven on low for a couple of hours, then Sautee them. This will cause the pork to be much more soft and blend better in the final sauce.

Now that all the meatballs and sautéed meats are in the sauce, your Sunday Gravy is ready to simmer with the lid on for a good five hours. Check often to make sure the sauce is not boiling.

How to serve.

VERY IMPORTANT

Timing is important. Have the table set and ready for dinner. Get a large straining spatula ready to go by the Sunday Gravy sauce pot. Also have a large serving platter ready to place all the meats on.

Now, boil your pasta, fresh homemade if you can do it, if not, get some good organic spaghetti noodles but do not use thin spaghetti noddle’s if you have the option, get the thickest noodles you can find.

Once the noodles are boiled set them on the table.

Next, spoon our ALL of the meatballs and sautéed meats onto your serving platter and set on the table. While doing so be sure to remove any bone!

Then immediately pour out the Sunday Gravy from the pot and serve.

ALWAYS keep your meats separate from the sauce from this point on. When saving the leftovers, keep the meats separate from the sauce. This is due to many reasons. It adds to the variety of what you can use it for with other dishes but most importantly, it keeps the meats in perfect condition. If they sit in sauce too long the meats will get mushy and fall apart.

Tips: I usually will add more red wine towards the end of the simmer. We love garlic and basil, so we go a little heavier on those ingredients that what is printed here.

I have used this gravy on other dishes that really make the dish stand out. Pizza sauce, baked chicken and veal Parisian, etc, etc, all awesome.

Be sure to double check the sauce while straining and check for bone, and remove it.

Try this recipe your friends and family will love you for it!!

My wife Donnas’ Aunt Jeanie who is first generation Italian, made Sunday Gravel. Donna said that this recipe here is as close as she has ever had to Aunt Jeanies recipe. RIP Aunt Jeanie and hope we did ya proud!

Godspeed

Jim Baugh

JBOTV