So it’s almost spring here in New York and what do we get? A freakin blizzard. The snow was so deep all I could see was the very tip of my dog’s tail when she went out into the back yard for her afternoon business trip.
Since we were snowed-in I decided to make Sunday Gravy even though it was only a Tuesday. If we were going to be stuck in the house the whole day I wanted something warm and fragrant cooking on the stove. In my house garlic is a perfume and we always have plenty of it on hand, so the decision was made to get a big old pot of red sauce a-bloppin away as soon as possible.
This recipe calls for canned San Marzano tomatoes. Now I know that there is a debate about whether or not San Marzano tomatoes are any better for red sauce than any other kind of tomato. There are some who swear by them and others who think the whole San Marzano thing is a crock. I don’t have good evidence one way or the other but I do feel that San Marzano tomatoes have a little less acid to them which makes them paste up nice when cooked down. If you can’t get San Marzano tomatoes, or they’re too pricey, any canned tomatoes will do just fine – just add one of those little cans of tomato puree to your sauce when cooking and that’ll base it all up nicely.
Our macaroni of choice on this day was Mezze Rigatonis but any macaroni variety will do. Just remember our old friend, Albert Dente.
Need This
2 – 28 ounce cans of San Marzano whole tomatoes
4 garlic cloves peeled and sliced into paper thin slices
1 Tablespoon of jarred crushed garlic
Olive oil
1 medium size onion sliced in half
1/2 stick (4 Tablespoons) of butter
1 cup of red wine
1 heaping tablespoon of dried oregano
1 whole bay leaf (optional)
Parmesan or Pecorino-Romano cheese (whole block or grated)
Salt & ground black pepper
Dried parsley for garnish (optional)
1 pound of dried macaroni – any variety
Do This
First, put on Sinatra… No kidding, it makes the sauce taste better.*
If you are using already crushed tomatoes or canned tomato sauce you can skip this next step…
Open the two cans of tomatoes and dump them into a whirlygig. Pulse until they are liquefied.
Put a glug of olive oil into a good sized sauce pot. Put a medium heat under the pot, add the sliced garlic and fry it until it turns golden. Now add the tomatoes to the pot and stir. Let the tomatoes come up to a bloppy boil then reduce the heat to low.
Add the onion and butter to the simmering tomatoes and gently stir until the butter has melted. Now add the red wine, oregano, and the bay leaf – if you have one.
Simmer the sauce on low heat (covered) for at least 3 hours – but longer is better. Stir occasionally, making sure that the sauce is not burning on the bottom of the pot. If it is, reduce the heat more.
Remove the lid at least 1 hour before serving. Add the tablespoon of crushed garlic at this time and salt and black pepper to taste. Continue simmering (uncovered) for 1 hour, the sauce will cook down a little and thicken.
Cook your macaroni until done. Before draining the macaroni, remove 1 ladle full of the starchy water and transfer it into the tomato sauce. Stir.
Ladle (or toss) your Sunday Gravy with the macaroni. Top with shaved (or grated) parmesan cheese and a little sprinkle of dried parsley. Reserve any leftover sauce in the refrigerator for up to one week. Use it over meatballs, sausages, chicken, pork, ice cream… It just gets better and better.
Serves 4. My Cost approx. $ 8.25 Total – about $ 2.06 per serving
*If you think I’m kidding about the Sinatra thing try this: Make two pots of Sunday Gravy. Make them both exactly the same, except make one pot of Sunday Gravy with Sinatra on and one with no Sinatra. Do a blind taste test with your family/friends and see which one they say is better. GMN