Sunday Gravy (Italian-American Sugo)

italianamerican-sundaygravy This authentic recipe for Italian Sunday Gravy (sauce) - or sugo, as Italians call it - is a rich tradition that's is passed down through families for generations. This Sicilian homemade red sauce gets simmered for hours with meatballs, Italian sausage and melt-in-your-mouth pieces of tender slow-cooked pork. Traditionally served on Sundays, this iconic Italian recipe is perfect for big family gatherings, special occasions or any night of the week.

1½ lb sweet Italian Sausage (~ 6 sausage links)
2-3 lbs pork loin, pork chops, ribs and/or neck bones

Meatballs:
1 lb ground beef
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
6 handfuls Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (2 handfuls for each pound of meat)
3 handfuls Parmesan cheese, grated (1 handful per pound of meat)
3 eggs, lightly beaten
3 eggshells water
1 tsp. garlic, minced
¼ cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Tomato Sauce:
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, sliced
1 small can tomato paste
2 cans water (use tomato paste can). Or alternatively 1½ cups
2 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, such as San Marzano
¼ cup red wine
1 carrot, grated (for sweetness instead of using sugar)
sea salt
black pepper, freshly ground

Cook the Sausage:
Preheat the broiler to high. Place sausage on a broiler pan and broil for about 15 minutes, turning once. Or, if you prefer you can pan sear them. It is not necessary to cook them through as they will finish cooking in the sauce.

Preheat an oven to 400°F (200°C/180°C fan, Gas Mark 6).

Make the Meatballs:
Combine. all meatball ingredients in a large bowl. Mix on the lowest setting until the ingredients are combined. Don't over mix or your meatballs will be tough. I use my kitchen aid mixer, but if you don't have one, it is fine to use a large bowl, a mixer, or even your hands.

Lightly brush a baking sheet with extra-virgin olive oil. Form the meat mixture into meatballs and place on a baking sheet about an inch apart. Bake until lightly browned, approximately 20 minutes. You don't want them cooked through, just browned so they hold together. They will finish cooking in the sauce.

Increase heat to medium-high. Add crushed tomatoes, wine, and grated carrot, and season with some more salt and pepper. Bring to a slight boil, and reduce heat back to low.

Partially cover and simmer for 1 hour. Add in the meatballs and sausage and cook for an additional 90 minutes (still partially covered), stirring occasionally to ensure the sauce doesn't stick to the bottom.

Make the Sauce:
Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onions and a little salt, cook until softened.

Add garlic and cook another minute. Add the Tomato paste, water, salt, and pepper. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to the lowest setting, cover partially, and simmer for 20 minutes stirring occasionally.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

Canned Tomatoes: You can use whole peeled tomatoes or crushed tomatoes in this recipe. If using whole peeled tomatoes you will need to crush them yourself. Some Italians prefer using tomato purée, or passata pomodoro, which produces an extra smooth sauce. It's really about personal preference. Italians are passionate about which brand of tomatoes they use. San Marzano tomatoes are often said to be the best tomatoes, but I find them inconsistent. Use whichever canned or jarred tomatoes you like and are available to you.
Tomato Paste: Some people in my family don't use tomato paste, but I like the richness that it adds to the sauce.
Onions and Garlic: I use both in my sauce, but some use either just garlic or onions only. I like to use finely diced onion and thinly sliced garlic cloves so that they melt into the sauce.
Herbs and Spices: We keep the spices minimal in our sugo. I use fresh Italian parsley and bay leaves, which is our secret ingredient. It gives the spaghetti sauce a subtle, but distinct flavor. If I have fresh basil, I will add a few sprigs as well, but I never add dried basil - it has a different flavor that I don't care for. Some cooks prefer to season only with red pepper flakes and no black pepper - I add a little bit of both for depth of flavour.
Sugar: This ingredient is very controversial and personal to each cook, but you can add a pinch of sugar to your sauce to balance the acidity - if you prefer. For me, it depends on the tomatoes. Sometimes I add sugar, and sometimes I don't think it's needed.
Meats: A good Sunday sauce typically includes a variety of meat. Ours always includes meatballs, Italian sausage and big fall-apart pieces of pork. The different types of meat give the sauce lots of flavour and richness - without the meats, it would just be marinara sauce. You can use a pork loin, pork chops, pork shoulder (Boston butt), pork ribs, or neck bones, which will breakdown and tenderize as they cook. You can also use tough cuts of beef, like chuck, short ribs or shin meat instead, or use a combination of beef and pork. I usually buy whatever is on sale at the grocery store. Use either sweet Italian sausage, hot Italian sausage or both to give the sauce a delicious flavour. Put the sausage links in whole and they will break apart as they cook. Try to find sausage made at a local butcher, Italian markets or local grocery stores for best results.
Meatballs: I always make my homemade authentic Italian meatballs when I make Sunday gravy, but you can use a good quality store bought meatball if you're short on time. Italian markets often sell homemade meatballs that are perfect for using in the sauce.

These additional ingredients can be added to the sauce for added flavor and will stretch it to feed more people:

Parmesan Rind: Always save your old Parmesan cheese rinds (I keep mine in a bag in the freezer) and add one to the sauce as it slow cooks to give your gravy an extra rich, buttery flavour.
Hard Boiled Eggs: Eggs are added to the sugo to add extra protein to the meal to feed their large families. It's not something I typically do today, but it's common among Sicilians.
Wine: I don't typically add wine to my sauce, but many cooks do. Adding a generous splash - or up to a cup - of either red wine or white wine to this slow-cooked tomato sauce will give it an even deeper flavour, a bit more sweetness and some acidity. For the best tomato sauce, be sure to use an un-oaked wine and don't use an expensive wine (it's a waste).
Braciole: I prefer to make homemade beef braciole as a stand-alone dinner, but for many families an Italian Sunday dinner wouldn't be complete without braciole in the gravy.