Recipe: Sunday Gravy with Meatballs (The North End Italian Cookbook)

SUNDAY GRAVY WITH MEATBALLS

"This tomato sauce with meat - which is as close as I've found to the fondly remembered sauce of Italian family dinners past - is called gravy because the meat drippings become the base for the sauce. It is meant to feed the whole family abundantly. You may cook up to 3 pounds of pasta and have enough sauce and meat to make everybody happy - and believe me, they will be happy. It refrigerates and freezes well. You may use any or all of the meats listed.

Pork added to the gravy will make a delicious but somewhat oily sauce, so be sure to skim excess oil off if you use a lot of pork. Also, pork tends to produce a thin sauce, so go easy when adding additional water. That said, I don't think Sunday Gravy is right without some spareribs or pork chops in the sauce!"

1 pound sweet Italian sausages
2 pounds Sunday Gravy Meatballs (recipe follows)
4 to 5 lean pork chops
1 pound lean spareribs
1 pound piece of beef or pork
1/2 cup olive oil, divided use
1 medium onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, chopped
Pinch dried basil, red pepper flakes and mint
1 (6 ounce) can tomato paste
1 (28 ounce) can peeled and crushed tomatoes
1 (28 ounce) can water
Salt and pepper (to taste)

Fry the meats of your choice in 1/4 cup oil in a large heavy saucepan or Dutch oven. When they are browned, transfer them to a platter.

Add remaining 1/4 cup oil to residual juices in pan. When oil is hot, saute onion, garlic and seasonings until transparent.

Stir in tomato paste and blend well. Add tomatoes (through a food mill, if you want a smooth sauce) and stir until blended with the tomato paste and oil. Stir in extra pinch of seasonings. Add water, using the 28-ounce can from the tomatoes. (Keep adding water until sauce remains the thickness you desire. I use a full can.)

Let sauce come to a full boil and add salt and pepper to taste and an additional pinch of herbs. Return meat to pan. Then simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or until all the meat is fully cooked. Stir gently every 15 minutes or so, using a large wooden spoon.

Serve the sauce over pasta, reserving some additional sauce for individual servings at the table.

SUNDAY GRAVY MEATBALLS
Makes 10 to 15 medium meatballs

1 1/2 pounds ground meat (1 pound beef, 1/2 pound pork)
2 medium eggs
2 cups soft bread crumbs, or enough to hold mixture together
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan or Romano cheese
1 large garlic clove, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently with your hands until the meat has become thoroughly blended with all the seasonings. The mixture should be fairly moist.

To form meatballs, wet hands in small bowl of lukewarm water and then pick up about 1/3 cup meatball mixture. Roll it in the palm of your hands to form a smooth ball about 2 1/2 inches in diameter.

Drop meatballs directly into basic tomato sauce recipe. Or, if you prefer a crusty meatball, fry in approximately 3 tablespoons olive oil on medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Then drop them into gently boiling tomato sauce as they are browned. Meatballs take 20 minutes to cook well. (Remember to scrape the bottom of the skillet and pour any crusty meat particles into the meat sauce.)

Serves 10 to 12 generously
Source: The North End Italian Cookbook by Marguerite DiMino Buonopane