Sunday Gravy

One of my favorite childhood memories was watching my mother make Sunday Gravy. The picture in my mind is of her standing at the stove, wooden spoon in hand. She's stirring, and smelling, and from my view, looking up, I can see the steam rising from the pot. Sometimes, she'd sneak me a treat of a piece of white bread with some sauce on it. Mmm! 

Sunday Gravy is a meat sauce that cooks all day, made on Sunday, of course. Some Italian Americans call it sauce, or meat sauce, or Bolognese, or ragu. 

Whatever. 

If I make sauce on Sunday with meat in it then that's Sunday Gravy to me. 

Making sauce is something that I consider to be an important part of my family's heritage. My Grandmother taught my mother how to make sauce. My mother taught me how to make sauce. And I have taught my  daughters to make sauce too. It's so important to me that I imagine, on my deathbed, my last words to my girls will be, "Can you make the gravy?"

So, here in print, so you can make the gravy too, Is my recipe for Sunday Gravy. 

Mangia! 

~~start with this~~

*Italian Seasoning*

1 tsp red pepper flakes

2 tablespoons oregano

1 tablespoon sage

1 tablespoon marjoram

1 tablespoon rosemary

1 tablespoon dried minced onion

1 tablespoon dried minced garlic

Grind for 5 to 10 seconds in blender

~~Then make this~~

Sunday Gravy

4Tbsp olive oil

3 medium yellow onions, cubed

6 cloves garlic, diced

3 Tbsp italian seasoning*

1/2 tsp black pepper

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

4 Tbsp Italian sausage drippings (optional)

1 lb 85/15 ground beef

1/4 lb ground pork or Italian sausage

1 can(s) (6oz) tomato paste

12 oz red wine, I used cavets Cabernet Sauvignon 

3 cans (28 oz) crushed tomatoes

2 cans  (28 oz) diced tomatoes

3 bay leaves

Directions

Heat olive oil on medium in thick-bottomed pan.

 Add onions and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. 

Add garlic and cook another 5 minutes.  

turn up heat to medium high. 

Add meat, seasonings and sausage drippings.

Break up pieces of meat while stirring until cooked through. 

Once it's browned, stir in the paste and stop stirring for 2 to 3 minutes.

 Yes, stop stirring. Just let it go ahead and stick to the bottom of the pot. Leave it till you think it's burning then pour in the wine and bring to a boil. Stir to loosen bits off bottom of pot.

 Add canned tomatoes and bay leaves, then lower heat to simmer and cook for 1  1/2 hours. Or 2. Or 3 even. Just be sure to stir it every 15 minutes or so. 

Thus is enough sauce to feed a small army, so when I make it I put the leftovers in freezer bags and heat it in the crock pot on low all day!