Sunday Gravy

Mary’s Sunday Gravy

Sundays at our house are sacred. But not for any any customary religious reason. It's still an official day of rest, mind you - we just like to cook on Sundays, and we take that very seriously. I guess you could say that we are kitchen baptists, absolving ourselves with acts of culinary contrition. Our communion taken in the form of roasted peppers, bruscetta, Sunday gravy, homemade noodles and of course, wine. One more than a few Sundays during the year, the featured dish is a thick ragu known in Italian American circles as "Sunday Gravy."


When I was about six, I can recall coming in from the yard after playing with my uncles and being frozen in my tracks as I entered my grandmother's kitchen and encountered the heady garlic and tomato perfume. Sitting at the table, I was transfixed by the texture of the pork and the deep flavors of the sauce mixed with the pasta. This recipe is based on that sauce. My grandmother Mary used to make it with tomatoes and onions from her garden in Orchard Park, NY. Thick and meaty, the tender ribs come apart easily with a fork and are a nice foil for the peppery hot sausage. This works with almost any kind of pasta, but pappardelle or rigatoni seem to work best.

3 lbs. Boneless country spareribs, trimmed and cut into thirds

4 Hot Italian Sausages

2 large onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and smashed

3 28 oz. cans whole peeled tomatoes

Big glass of Italian red table wine

Basil, or other fresh herbs, chopped

Red pepper flakes

S&P to taste

Olive oil

1. Coat the bottom of a large Dutch oven with olive oil and heat over medium-high heat until shimmering

2. Brown ribs, then sausage. Remove with tongs, cut on the bias into bite sized pieces and reserve.

3. In the same pot, add onions and sweat for 3 minutes. Add smashed garlic and stir well for 2 min. until moisture begins to evaporate from the onions.

4. Deglaze pan with glass of wine, scraping up fond on bottom. Cook for 3 minutes.

5. Crush tomatoes with your hands in a large bowl, removing any basil, skin, or core pieces.

6. Add tomatoes to the pot and gently bring to a boil, stirring often.

7. Add spareribs back to sauce and stir to incorporate. Add herbs and simmer gently for 2 hours or until ribs begin to fall apart easily. Skim along the way for any fat or impurities that rise to the surface.

8. Taste and adjust seasonings.

8. Add sausage and cook for 30 minutes.

Toss, garnish with fresh herbs and serve with long pastas like pappardelle, grated cheese and thick hunks of good bread. Serve with antipasti, roasted peppers or bruscetta (Below)

Roasted Peppers

3 large red bell peppers, cored and cut into 3 lg. “filets”

2 T Basil, chiffonade (small ribbons)

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 T toasted pine nuts

Olive oil

Pinch of kosher salt

Ground black pepper

1. Grill peppers, skin side down until blackened all over. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes, reserving pepper juices in the bowl.

2. Under cold running water, rub blackened skin off peppers and dry on paper towels.

3. Cut peppers into thin ribbons (1/4 in.) and place into a bowl with the garlic, basil, pine nuts reserve juices and olive oil and mix well with a fork.

4. Add salt and a few grinds of black pepper, toss, let stand for 15 min at room temp.

5. Toss and serve, adding salt and pepper as necessary with rounds of good Italian bread. Makes an excellent part of any antipasti.

Bruscetta

6 plum or other ripe red tomatoes

3 heaping tablespoons of finely chopped onions

1 small clove garlic, minced

2 T fresh basil, cut into thin ribbons. (chiffonade)

Olive oil

Splash of red wine vinegar

Large pinch of kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

12 rounds sliced Italian bread

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and let stand for 30 min.

2. Taste and season bruscetta. Stir well.

3. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees. Arrange rounds on oven rack and bake until toasted. About 5 min.

4. Arrange rounds on plate and, using a slotted spoon, top with tomato mixture. And serve immediately.