Ingredients

How to make it

  • The Gravy
  • Fry the meats of your choice in 1/4 cup of the oil in a large heavy saucepan. When they are browned, transfer them to a platter. Add the remaining 1/4 cup of oil to the residual juices in the pan. When the oil is hot, sauté the onion, garlic, and seasonings until transparent. Stir in the tomato paste and blend well. Add the tomatoes and stir until blended with the tomato paste and oil. Stir in an extra pinch of the seasonings. Add water, using the 28-ounce can from the tomatoes. (Keep adding water until the sauce remains the thickness you desire. I use a full can.) Let the sauce come to a full boil and add salt and pepper to taste and an additional pinch of herbs. Return the meat to the pan. Then simmer over medium heat, uncovered, for at least 1 hour or until all of the meat is fully cooked. Stir gently every 15 minutes or so, using a large wooden spoon.
  • Serve the sauce over pasta, reserving some additional sauce for individual servings at the table.
  • NOTE: Pork added to the gravy will make an oily - though delicious - gravy. When you are using a significant amount of pork, skim the excess oils off the top of the sauce. Pork also tends to produce a thin sauce, so go easy when adding additional water, or add an extra can of paste at the beginning of preparations. This will help maintain the body of the sauce.
  • The Meatballs
  • Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl. Toss gently with your hands until the meat has become thoroughly blended with all the seasonings. The mixture should be fairly moist. To form the meatballs, wet your hands in a small bowl of lukewarm water and then pick up about 1/3 cup meatball mixture. Roll it in the palm of your hands to form a smooth ball about 1-inch in diameter. Drop the meatballs directly into your sauce. Or, if you prefer a crusty meatball, fry in approximately 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet on medium heat for about 5 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Then drop them into gently boiling tomato sauce. Meatballs take 20 minutes to cook well. Remember to scrape the bottom of the skillet and pour any crusty meat particles into the meat sauce.
  • Yield: 15 to 18 medium-size meatballs or 40 to 45 tiny meatballs.

Reviews & Comments 5

Add a Link?

Post a link to another recipe or group by pasting the url into the box where you want it to show up. We'll do the rest.

Post Message or cancel
  • babalugatz 14 years ago
    sorry, but adding 28 oz. of WATER to any recipe is just wrong...
    any self-respecting italian gravy would have soup stock (chicken, but richer w/ beef stock)
    & RED WINE!!!!!
    where's the RED WINE, for christ's sakes???
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
    " It was excellent "
    minitindel ate it and said...
    ok im melting this is a fantastic recipe ..thank you nice post
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
  • tziemba 15 years ago
    Would love to try this, is there a special way to freeze things like this. Will it lose its flavor?
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
  • dcruzarelli 15 years ago
    This recipe sounds heavenly. Cant wait to try it. Thanks for such a great recipe. Yummoooo...
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag
  • lyanthya 16 years ago
    My Italian great grandmother used to make this. It was heaven.
    Was this review helpful? Yes Flag

Maybe List
Hang onto this recipe

while I look at others.

Holding 0 recipes