Authentic Italian Gravy

30 minutes Prep Time
8 hours Cook Time
12 Servings

What makes this gravy authentic? Fresh ingredients, Italian spices and abundance of tomatoes all work together to create a perfectly-textured and expertly flavored gravy. All it takes is some loving care and a bit of time to work its magic.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup red wine, + 2 tablespoons
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 4-5 bone-in country style pork ribs, or 1/2 rack pork spare ribs, cut into 2 bone segments
  • 1/2 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 cup chopped celery
  • 1/2 carrot, minced
  • 10 garlic cloves, minced
  • Salt and black pepper to taste

  • 1 can Red Gold Canned Tomato Paste 12 oz

  • 4 cans Red Gold Canned Whole Peeled Tomatoes 28 oz, crushed with hands

  • 1 can Red Gold Canned Tomato Sauce 15 oz

  • 1 quart water
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh oregano
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
  • 1 pound Italian sausage

Instructions

Step one

Preheat oven to 400° F. Place 1 cup red wine, oil, beef neck bones, onion, celery, carrots, garlic, salt and black pepper in a roasting pan; stir to coat.

Step two

Roast neck bones and vegetable mixture in oven until vegetables are tender, 1 hour. Stir in about 2 tablespoons red wine while scraping any brown bits of food off the bottom of the pan. Roast until vegetable are browned, about 30 minutes.

Step three

Pour vegetable mixture into a 16 quart stock pot over medium-low heat; simmer for 30 minutes. Add whole peeled tomatoes, tomato paste, tomato sauce, water, basil, oregano and parsley; stir well. Simmer, stirring occasionally until sauce reduces, 4 to 6 hours.

Step four

Remove neck bones from sauce; scrape marrow out of bones. Add marrow to sauce and simmer until dissolved, 1 to 2 hours.

Step five

Add choice of meat to sauce during the last ½ hour of cooking. For a smooth sauce, blend in batches until smooth. Add Italian sausage or other meat to sauce after blending.

Step six

Cooking Option: Cook a pound of pasta in ½ gallon water, just until al dente. After sauce has cooked add ¼ cup pasta water and al dente pasta. Cook until pasta is completely cooked. This allows the pasta and sauce to combine their flavors for an exceptional tasting meal.

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