Sunday Gravy From Hailee Catalano
Grandma Tina’s gravy was probably the first dish that made me realize how much I love food. My grandpa Sam would always lovingly tease me about the amount of gravy-smothered pasta I could eat. There was so much I loved about eating pasta at Tina’s house: I loved the smell of the gravy simmering on the stove, coupled with the potent aroma of the bowl of grated pecorino Romano at the center of the table. I loved being with my family, eating something we all enjoyed. I loved the slight sense of chaos of having the whole family in the house at once and the extremely loud yet comforting sound of everyone’s voices as we all talked over each other. I didn’t know it then, but everything about Sunday supper at my grandma’s is what led me to love food and cooking the way I do now. All that being said, this is Tina’s beloved gravy recipe. It’s the utmost definition of a labor of love but so, so worth it. It makes enough for 1½ to 2 pounds (680 to 907 grams) of pasta, depending on how saucy you like things. Tina always served this with penne, but boil any short-cut pasta shape you desire. Be sure to top your bowl with a bunch of pecorino Romano, and complete the meal with a vinegary iceberg salad. We always had a liter of RC Cola on the table, which I highly recommend here as well.
Photo by Emily Hawkes
INGREDIENTS
Makes 6- 8 servings
1 pound (454 grams) lamb neck bones (these should be meaty), cut into 2-inch (5 centimeter) pieces
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
Olive oil, for searing
2 medium yellow onions, small diced
8 garlic cloves, minced
3 tablespoons tomato paste
Two 24-ounce (680 grams) jars passata
2 dried bay leaves
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 batch Tina’s Meatballs (recipe below), prepared through step 2 (recipe below)
1 pound (454 grams) hot Italian sausage (4 or 5 links)
METHOD
Season the lamb neck bones all over with salt and black pepper. Heat a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pot with a thin layer of olive oil. Add the neck bones, and sear all over until golden brown, 4 to 6 minutes per side. Transfer the bones to a plate, and set aside.
Add the onions and garlic to the pan, and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 5 or 6 minutes. Add the tomato paste, and cook, stirring constantly, until slightly browned, 1 or 2 minutes.
Add the passata, bay leaves, sugar, and red pepper flakes. Season with a big pinch of salt and a good amount of black pepper. Nestle the lamb neck bones in the sauce, and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally to prevent scorching on the bottom, for 1 hour.
Cook, then add Braciole (recipe below). Reduce the heat to low, and simmer, covered, uncovering and stirring occasionally to prevent scorching, for 2 hours.
Clean the cast-iron pan, and heat over medium-high heat. Coat the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Add the meatballs, and sear on one side until golden, 4 or 5 minutes.
Use a small spoon or offset spatula to carefully flip over the meatballs, and brown the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes. (The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point; they will finish in the sauce.) Transfer the meatballs to a plate, and set aside.
Deglaze the pan with ¼ cup (60 milliliters) water, and add the drippings to the pot of gravy.
Clean the cast-iron pan, and heat over medium heat. Coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Add the sausage, and sear until golden on both sides, 3 or 4 minutes per side. Set the browned sausage aside. (There won’t be any worthwhile fond here, so no need to deglaze!)
After the braciole has cooked in the gravy for 2 hours, gently nestle in the seared meatballs and sausage. This will be a snug mixture! Simmer the sauce over very low heat, uncovered, stirring every now and then, until the sauce has reduced a bit and the meatballs and sausage are cooked through, about 1 hour.
Remove the sausage links, cut them into 2-inch (5 centimeter) pieces (Tina always did this, so I do it, too!), and return them to the pot. Remove the twine from the braciole, and return them to the gravy. Tina always left the lamb bones in the gravy to serve because their meat is really tasty as well.
Season the gravy with salt and black pepper to taste, remove the bay leaves, and enjoy the fruits of your labor over a big bowl of pasta, with a mountain of freshly grated pecorino Romano on top. I like serving this family style so people can pick and choose whatever meat they want from the pot.
Braciole
INGREDIENTS
½ cup (55 grams) finely grated Pecorino Romano
½ cup (45 grams) panko breadcrumbs
¼ cup (15 grams) finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, finely grated
1 egg
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
8 very thin slices (1 to 1½ pounds/454 to 680 grams) top round steak
Butcher’s twine, for securing the braciole
½ cup (120 milliliters) water, divided
METHOD
Mix the Pecorino Romano, panko, parsley, olive oil, garlic, and egg in a medium bowl. Season with salt and black pepper.
Lightly season one side of the beef slices with salt and black pepper. Spread a thin layer of filling over each slice of beef to cover. Starting at one of the shorter ends, roll up the beef to make a small roll. Repeat with the remaining beef and stuffing.
Tie the rolls with two pieces of butcher’s twine to secure. Lightly season the outside of the braciole with salt and pepper.
Heat a large cast-iron pan over medium heat, and coat the bottom of the pan with a thin layer of olive oil. Working in two batches, add the braciole and sear on all sides until golden, 4 or 5 minutes per side. Transfer to the pot with the gravy.
Deglaze the cast-iron pan with about ¼ cup (60 milliliters) water, and add the drippings to the pot of gravy. (Skip this step if the fond smells or looks at all burnt.)
Tina’s Meatballs
INGREDIENTS
Makes 16 to 18 meatballs
MEATBALL MIX
½ cup (55 grams) finely grated Pecorino Romano
½ cup (45 grams) panko breadcrumbs
2 eggs, beaten
1 small yellow onion, shredded on the large holes of a box grater
4 garlic cloves, finely grated
¼ cup (15 grams) finely chopped fresh parsley
1½ teaspoons kosher salt
½ teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
8 ounces (227 grams) ground beef (80/20)
8 ounces (227 grams) ground pork
Olive oil, for greasing your hands and searing
SAUCE
One 24-ounce (680 grams) jar passata
½ cup (120 milliliters) water
2 tablespoons granulated sugar
2 Parmesan rinds (if you have them)
1 dried bay leaf
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
METHOD
Make the meatballs: Add the Pecorino Romano, panko, eggs, onion, garlic, parsley, salt, and pepper to a large bowl, and mix with a spoon to combine. Add the beef and pork, and mix with your hands just until combined. Try not to overwork the meat!
Using oiled hands, form the meatball mixture into 1½-inch (4-centimeter) meatballs (35 to 40 grams each). Place the finished meatballs on a sheet tray or large plate. You should yield 16 to 18 meatballs.
Coat the bottom of a large pot with olive oil, and heat over medium-high heat. Working in two batches, add half of the meatballs to the pot, and sear on one side until golden, 4 or 5 minutes.
Use a small spoon or offset spatula to carefully flip over the meatballs and brown the other side for another 1 or 2 minutes. (The meatballs will not be fully cooked at this point; they will finish in the sauce.) Transfer the meatballs to a plate, set aside, and repeat with the second half of the meatballs, adding more oil to the pot as needed.
Make the sauce: Reduce the heat under the pot to low, and carefully add the passata. Add the water to the passata jar, cover, shake to fully clean out the jar, and pour into the pot. Stir, scraping up any brown bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the sugar, Parmesan rinds, if using, and bay leaf, and season with salt and pepper. Add the meatballs and any accumulated juices, and gently stir to cover the meatballs in sauce.
Bring the sauce to a simmer and then reduce the heat to low. Cover and cook, uncovering every now and then to stir, for 25 minutes.
Uncover and cook, stirring occasionally, for another 10 minutes. Season with more salt and pepper, remove the bay leaf, and serve.
From By Heart by Hailee Catalano. Excerpted by permission of DK Publishing.
