Jersey Sunday Dinner Gravy Recipes

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!

Steps:

• Heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Cook neck bones, country-style pork rib, beef chuck, beef rib, and lamb shank in hot oil, turning regularly, until browned on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove all the meat to a large bowl.
• Pour another 1/4 cup olive oil into the stockpot and heat over medium heat; stir a pinch of basil, a pinch of mint, and a pinch of red pepper flakes into the oil. Cook and stir onions in hot oil until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add garlic; cook and stir 1 minute more. Stir the tomato paste into the onion mixture until incorporated. Pour crushed tomatoes and water into the mixture and bring to a low boil. Add an additional 2 pinches each of basil, mint, and red pepper flakes. Season with salt and black pepper.
• Return the browned meats to the tomato mixture; bring to a simmer and cook, stirring every 15 minutes, for 2 1/2 hours. Remove the neck bones and discard.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Crumble Italian sausage into the skillet; cook and stir until crumbly, evenly browned, and no longer pink, 5 to 7 minutes. Drain and discard any excess grease. Stir sausage into the tomato sauce with sugar. Return the sauce to a simmer and cook another 1 1/2 hours.
• Mix ground beef, ground pork, eggs, milk, Italian bread crumbs, parsley, Parmesan cheese, and garlic with your hands in a large bowl until evenly mixed; shape into 2-inch balls.
• Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons in a skillet over medium heat. Cook the meat balls in hot oil until evenly browned, 5 to 7 minutes.
• Add meatballs to the tomato sauce. Cook at a simmer for 1 hour, adding water as needed to keep sauce from becoming too thick. Remove stockpot from heat; let sit 2 to 3 minutes. Skim and discard any fat from the top of the sauce.

Steps:

• To make the sauce, heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat.
• Pat the pork dry and put the pieces in the pot.
• Cook turning occasionally, for about 15 minutes or until nicely browned on all sides.
• Transfer pork to a plate.
• Brown the veal in the same way and add it to the plate.
• Place the sausages in the pot and brown on all sides.
• Set the sausages aside with the pork.
• Drain off most of the fat from the pot.
• Add the garlic and cook for about 2 minutes or until golden.
• Remove and discard the garlic.
• Stir in the tomato paste and cook for 1 minute.
• With a food mill (I use a Braun hand blender) puree the tomatoes, with their juice into the pot.
• Or for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them.
• Add the water; and salt and pepper to taste.
• Add the pork, veal, sausages, and basil and bring the sauce to a simmer.
• Partially cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours.
• If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.
• Meanwhile, make the meatballs: Combine all the ingredients except the oil in a large bowl.
• Mix together thoroughly.
• Rinse your hands with cool water and lightly shape the mixture into 2 inch balls.
• Heat the oil in a large heavy skillet.
• Add the meatballs and brown them well on all sides.
• They will finish cooking in the sauce.
• Transfer the meatballs to a plate.
• After the sauce has cooked for its two hours, add the meatballs and cook for 30 minutes or until the sauce is thick and the meats are very tender.
• To serve, remove the meats from the sauce and set aside.
• Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce.
• Sprinkle with cheese.
• Serve the meats as a second course, or reserve them for another day.

Steps:

• In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil and add pork bones and beef. Brown all over about 10-20 minutes. Remove meat with slotted spoon. This is not a sauce/gravy for the crock pot since it would add too much water and the sauce would not stick to the pasta.
• Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic to hot oil and cook 10 minutes, until tender and stirring often. I put the above veggies in the food processor to get them very fine, almost grated, as you want this to be a smooth sauce. Add meats, both cans of tomatoes, wine, bouillon cube, spices and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, partially cover and simmer 2 hours or until meat is very tender and gravy has thickened.
• To serve, toss some of the gravy with cooked pasta of your choice and place rest of gravy in bowl on table. Place cooked meat in another bowl. Accompany with hard rolls, pecorino romano cheese, salad and a glass of red wine. Enjoy!

Steps:

• In a casserole or stockpot, combine the ribs with enough cold water to cover by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Drain. In a 10-quart casserole set over moderate heat, warm the oil and cook the onions and garlic, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes. Add the ribs, braciole, and sausage and cook until they're browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the tomatoes, herbs, and salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour. Add the meatballs and cook for 1 to 1 1/2 hours more. The longer the cooking time, the more concentrated the gravy will be. When the gravy is almost done, cook the pasta according to the package directions, until al dente. Drain. Remove all of the meat from the sauce and put on a platter. Pour some of the sauce into a gravy boat to serve on the side. Add the pasta to the remaining sauce and toss with a little oil.
• Braciole (Stuffed Meat Rolls): Season the meat on both sides with salt and pepper to taste. In a bowl, combine the 1/2 cup Parmesan, garlic, and parsley. Divide the mixture among the meat slices, spreading it into an even layer, and roll up each slice to enclose the filling. Secure each roll with string or toothpicks.
• Meatballs: In a small bowl, combine the bread with enough milk to just cover and let the bread soak for 10 minutes. Squeeze dry and chop fine. In a bowl, combine the bread with the meat, garlic, parsley, Romano cheese, eggs, and salt and pepper to taste. Form into 12 to 14 meatballs, about 2 1/2 inches in diameter, and chill until ready to cook. In a large saucepan or casserole set over moderate, heat the oil until hot. Add the meatballs and cook them until they're browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes.