Best Sunday Gravy Real Italian Spaghetti Sauceand Meatballs Recipes

SUNDAY GRAVY (REAL ITALIAN SPAGHETTI SAUCE)AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• SAUCE: Heat oil in large heavy pot (use a seasoned pot if you have one). Place the pork in the pot and brown until just about cooked. Transfer pork to plate. Do the same with the sausage and transfer to plate. Leave fat in pot. Add whole peeled garlic cloves cook until tender. Put garlic on plate with meat and stir in tomato paste until "saucy". Chop up tomatoes leaving the tomato juice in the cans (I use my chopper) and add them to the pot.
• Then add 1/2 of one can of the juice to the pot. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add the meats and garlic to the sauce and bring to a boil. Turn down to low and cook for about 1 1/2 hours. Leave the sauce on low and remove all the meat and garlic cloves.
• Mix all ingredients for meatballs and shape into balls. Add to sauce turn up just a little higher than low and let cook the raw meatballs until they are done (1/2 hour) THATS IT!
• Now this is an old recipe, but I have seen it in the sopranos cookbook and this is a bit different.
• I used this sauce to make the ziti al forno from the sopranos cookbook (Recipe #73939) and it was the most amazing thing I have ever eaten, so I posted that too.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS AND SUNDAY SAUCE RECIPE

Steps:

• Dice 1 onion. In a large bowl hand crush the tomatoes. Alternatively, pulse the tomatoes in a blender for 2-3 seconds.
• Coat the bottom of a large heavy pot with a 1/2 cup of olive oil and saute the onions on medium-low heat until translucent (about 5 minutes). Add the tomato paste to the onions and cook for 5 minutes, spreading the paste around with a wooden spoon.
• Add in all the hand crushed tomatoes, 1 tsp of kosher salt, 1/2 tsp black pepper and 1/2 tsp of sugar. Stir the sauce until incorporated and cook on a low simmer with the lid left slightly ajar. Stir the sauce every so often (very important!) to avoid sticking. The sauce should cook on low heat for at least 2.5 to 3 hours but longer will be better.
• Begin by grating 3/4 cup of parmigiano reggiano, mincing a half cup of fresh parsley, and creating garlic paste from 3 garlic cloves.
• Add the beef and ground pork to a large mixing bowl and season with 2 tsp kosher salt and a 1/2 tsp black pepper. In a small bowl beat 2 eggs and set aside.
• To the meat, add the breadcrumbs, grated cheese, parsley and garlic paste. Pour the eggs in and mix everything together. If the mixture is too dry, add one more egg to the mix.
• With wet hands roll approximately 2" size meatballs. The meatballs can be baked on a sheet pan with wire rack at 375f for 25-30 minutes or until brown in the middle of oven.
• Place the browned meatballs in the sauce and cook for a minimum of 1 hour on low heat to allow the meatballs to absorb the flavor of and braise in the sauce.
• When the meatballs are finished, serve with choice of pasta, grated cheese and Italian bread. Enjoy!

SOPRANO'S SUNDAY GRAVY (SPAGHETTI SAUCE)

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
• Pat the pork dry and put the pieces in the pot.
• Cook turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides.
• Transfer pork to a plate.
• Brown the veal in the same way and add it to the plate.
• Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides.
• Set the sausages aside with the pork.
• Drain off most of the fat from the pot.
• Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden.
• Remove and discard the garlic.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• With a food mill (I use a Braun hand blender) puree the tomatoes, with their juice into the pot.
• Or for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them.
• Add the water; and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the pork, veal, sausages, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer.
• Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
• If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl.
• Mix together thoroughly.
• Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 2 inch balls.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet.
• Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides.
• They will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
• After the sauce has cooked for its two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meats are very tender.
• To serve, remove the meats from the sauce and set aside.
• Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Serve the meats as a second course, or reserve them for another day.

THE MAURO FAMILY SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• For the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the milk, bread, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to make a panade. Whisk in the cheese, parsley and eggs until uniform. Add in the chuck, pork and veal and, using your hands, mix together until combined. Do not overwork! Do a tiny test meatball to gauge seasoning. Once the mixture is properly seasoned, roll it into twelve 3-inch meatballs.
• For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and brown on each side until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Next, brown all sides of the meatballs until dark brown, about 5 minutes a side. Set aside. Drain out all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium high. Add the sausage, meatballs and neck bones and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid on until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle and are about 170 degrees F, about 1 hour. Remove the sausage and meatballs from the sauce (leave in the neck bones) and refrigerate.
• Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until the neck bone meat is falling-off-the bone tender, skimming the fat off the top and stirring frequently, another 3 hours. (After about 2 1/2 hours, remove the sausage and meatballs from the refrigerator to come back to room temperature.)
• Add the sausage and meatballs back to the sauce and bring to a simmer again for 10 minutes to heat the meat up. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the fresh basil just before serving.
• Serve on top of a mound of mostaccioli or rigatoni, with a side of hot giardiniera.