Authentic Italian Gravy
30 minutes
Prep Time
8 hours
Cook Time
12
Servings
What makes this gravy authentic? Its 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
- 3 beef neck bones, baby back ribs or short ribs
- 1/2 cup chopped onion
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/2 carrot, minced
- 10 garlic cloves, minced
- Salt and black pepper to taste
- 3 (28 ounce) cans Tuttorosso® Italian Inspirations Peeled Plum Tomatoes in Puree
- 2 (6 ounce) cans Tuttorosso® Tomato Paste
- 1 (28 ounce) can Tuttorosso® Tomato Sauce
- 1 quart water
- 2 tablespoons dried basil
- 2 tablespoons dried oregano
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 1 pound Italian sausage, cooked and drained or meatballs
Instructions
Step one
Preheat oven to 400 degrees 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 tomato paste, tomatoes, 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.
Step six
For a smooth sauce, blend in batches until smooth. Add Italian sausage or other meat to sauce after blending.
Step seven
Option: Cook one pound of pasta in ½ gallon water, just until al dente, reserve pasta water. After sauce has cooked add to it 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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