Italian Gravy Recipes

ITALIAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large stock pot over medium heat. Saute onions and garlic until lightly browned. Place pork shoulder in pot, and pour in 1/2 cup white wine and 3 cups water. In a small bowl, combine oregano, parsley, thyme, rosemary, garlic powder, salt and pepper. Sprinkle 1/4 of spice mixture over pork. Cover, and cook for 30 minutes turning occasionally. Add water periodically if needed.
• Pour in tomato puree. Fill cans with water, and pour in (about 6 cups). Stir in remaining spice mixture and the sugar. When liquid starts to bubble, reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally, and adjust seasonings to taste.

ITALIAN TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden (but not overly brown.) Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol. Hand crush the canned tomatoes and add to the pot, along with its liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

ITALIAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Cover the bottom of a 10 quart pot with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add short ribs, oxtails, country style spare ribs and beef neck bone and brown them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Cook until both sides of meat are browned. Remove meat to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan add the sausage and ground beef. When ground meats are cooked through, drain grease and oil from pan. If there are any large pieces of the ground meats, break them up or pulse in a food processor. Add to bowl with other meats, set aside. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into pot and saute onions, Italian parsley, garlic, shallots, jalapeno peppers, and pesto. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion. When onions are limp, add all of the reserved meats. Over medium heat, add 2 cups red wine. While this mixture is cooking, in a separate saute pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil and over medium heat saute mushrooms. Raise heat to medium high and add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sugar. When mushrooms are browned add them to meats along with the tomato puree, tomato sauce and stock. In a food processor pulse stewed tomatoes with tomato paste until smooth and add them to the pot. Add allspice, Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon granulated onion. The gravy must cover the meat and come close to the top of the pot. Reduce heat to the lowest simmer and cook uncovered for approximately 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When meat on oxtail is tender, take all of the whole meats out of the pot, leaving the ground meats in. To complete gravy, add 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, fresh basil and cream sherry. Serve the meat with gravy and pasta. Remove the rest of the gravy from the heat and let cool for 2 hours at room temperature then divide into pint containers and freeze.

ITALIAN SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oil in very large Dutch oven.
• Add garlic and onions and saute until soft.
• Add tomato paste and stir to combine.
• Add crushed tomatoes and spices.
• Stir bring to boil, lower heat to low--cover and simmer.
• Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients (except for flour and oil).
• Form into balls about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.
• Dredge meatballs in flour.
• Fry meatballs in oil in skillet a few at a time until browned on all sides (not necessary to cook through they will cook in the sauce) Add fried meatballs from skillet directly to simmering sauce.
• Stir and bring sauce back to a simmer.
• Cover.
• Place sausage in pot and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and boil about 5 minutes to remove some of the fat.
• Brown boiled sausage in skillet.
• Place browned sausage in simmering sauce.
• Bring sauce back to simmer---cover and continue simmering for 2 hours over low heat---stir occassioanlly.
• Remove meatballs and sausage from pot and place on serving dish.
• Toss sauce with cooked pasta--You will have enough sauce to coat two pounds of cooked pasta.
• This freezes very well!

AUTHENTIC HOMEMADE ITALIAN GRAVY (SPAGHETTI SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a dutch oven or pot (large enough to contain all sauce ingredients) over medium heat. When hot but not smoking, add onion and garlic and saute until onion is translucent and garlic is fragrant. Be sure to stir every couple minutes so the garlic doesn't burn. If you want to leave the garlic in the sauce, you may do so, but if not, now is the time to remove garlic from the pot. I personally leave it in because my family loves garlic. If you choose to remove it, there will only be a very subtle garlic flavor present in the sauce.
• Add ground beef to pot with onion and olive oil. Fry, breaking up until small pieces are all that's left. Drain if excess oil is present; I recommend using lean ground beef for health reasons and draining.
• Once drained, add both cans of tomatoes, filling with 1.4 can of water afterwards to rinse the remaining sauce out and add to pot. Add chopped or broken up basil leafs if using fresh, or add dried basil at this time. Also add salt and pepper to pot. Stir well, breaking up any large chunks of tomato against the side of the pot.
• Allow pot to come to a simmering boil, and then turn heat down to low. Place lid on the pot, stirring every 5 minutes or so. Allow to simmer for 30-45 minutes. When the proper time has passed, taste the sauce and add more salt and pepper to your liking.
• Once this time has elapsed, your sauce is done and you are ready to use it for whatever you want - baked ziti, lasagna, spaghetti, stuffed peppers, or over polenta. You can also make a meatless version by simply omitting the ground beef, and you may use the sauce for pizza as well! It's a great, flavorful, and very versatile sauce for all occasions. Enjoy!

ITALIAN SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• 1. Dice the onion and 5 cloves of garlic. Chop your basil and set aside.
• 2. Put your ground beef/pork/veal in a big bowl. Add salt, pepper, a little bit of oregano, 1/2 cup of cheese, and egg.
• 3. Put you slices of bread in a cereal bowl can cover with milk.
• 4. In a large frying pan saute 1/2 of your onions, 1/2 your garlic and 1/2 your basil in 2 tablespoons of evoo. Slow and low here, do not burn your garlic. Saute until onions are translucent approximately 15 mins. When done add to your bowl of meat. Set aside pan to cook meats in a bit.
• 5. Squeeze out half your milk from the bread and add to meat. With your hands mix your meat mixture together for about 5 mins. Get it good and mixed up. Set aside.
• 6. Time to start the sauce. In a BIG sauce pan add another 2 tablespoons of evoo, saute the rest of your onion, garlic, basil slow and low. When onions are translucent add 3 cans tomato sauce and 1 1/2 cans water (don't worry water will cook out over the next few hours. It will not water down your sauce.) Add your oregano leaf and sugar stir and simmer sauce on med low heat.
• 7. Time to brown your meatballs. In your frying pan add about one inch of oil. Roll your meatballs out by hand med to large size. Brown meatballs on both sides. Do not have to cook them all the way through. They will finish cooking in your sauce and add flavor to the sauce by not cooking through. You will have to do this in batches most likely. Once finished browning add to the sauce.
• 8. In same pan you cooked the meatballs brown your chops. Add them to your sauce. Now brown your sausage links in same pan. Cut browned sausage links into pieces and add to sauce.
• 9. Time to deglaze your pan all the meats were cooked in. Drain excess oil from the pan. Put the empty oily pan on med heat. Pour wine in pan once hot. The pan will smoke at first. This is okay. Simmer for a couple of mins until the alcohol has cooked off. Now pour this into your sauce.
• 10. Let your sauce simmer on low heat for the next 3 hours. During this time you will have fats rise to the top. You can skim most of the fat off if you choose. I stir it all back in for this is where a lot of your flavor comes from.
• 11. Sauce close to done. Time to cook pasta. Cook your pasta al dente for about 11-12 mins. Drain then toss with some of your cheese to the sauce will adhere to the pasta better. Remove pork chop bones ( you will prob have to look for these because the fell of the chop)
• 12. Place pasta on a big serving platter or bowl. Spoon sauce over pasta. Top with parsley and additional cheese. Put extra sauce in a separate bowl and place on the table for quest to add extra if they choose.
• 13. Serve with a loaf of bread and butter and enjoy.