my take on Sunday gravy.
Gravy, sauce, or sugo — whatever you call it, it’s the meaty red tomato sauce that Italian nonnas have been known for ages to simmer for Sunday supper.
I’m clearly not an Italian nonna, nor do I have an Italian nonna, so I know what you’re thinking here: What gives me the authority to write a recipe for sugo?
It’s actually a more family-oriented story than you think — it’s just not my family that I learned it from.
I went to college 6 hours from Chicago, and without a car, it wasn’t always feasible to go home for holidays. So freshman year my college roommate, Alicia, generously invited me to join her large and loving Italian family for Thanksgiving. The host was her uncle Dave, who quickly became family to me, too; and also became a great influence in my cooking.
He was the one who taught me how to make the best mashed potatoes (If you’ve had mine, you can thank Uncle Dave). He also introduced me to real pasta sauce, the kind that simmers all day with savory meat and plenty of spices. His version is stunningly simple but unforgettably delicious, with an aroma I’d still recognize anywhere. Like any good Italian, his recipe was intuitive; a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and definitely, definitely, lots of cheese.
I’ve made Sunday gravy a million times since then, sometimes directly copying his recipe and other times making it my own. I’ve made it in a slow cooker with chicken, simmered it with jarred sauce, served it with giant meatballs, and even crushed my own fresh tomatoes. It’s good any which way, but I did settle on a favorite, one that I’d be certain guests would enjoy every time.
Though my recipe is a bit different than the one I learned from Uncle Dave, there is evidence that his influence is there: First, in the pork shoulder’s meaty flavor; then, the aroma of the Italian seasoning blend — and lastly, the creamy, salty flavor of the grated Parmesan, which transforms the sauce at the very last second. It was his signature, and to me, a must-have in a really good sugo.
Some advice? Buy really good ingredients. Plum tomatoes directly from Italy (Cento is your best bet), a nice Parmesan, a bottle of wine you’d actually drink, and, if possible, homemade pasta.
But my best advice?
Don’t overthink it.
Enjoy.
Serves 4-6
INGREDIENTS
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 (2-3 pound) pork shoulder
1 tablespoon salt, plus more to taste
1 tablespoon pepper, plus more to taste
1 yellow onion, diced
10 cloves garlic, minced (About 1 bulb)
4 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
2 (28 ounce) cans San Marzano plum tomatoes (splurge on these, if possible).
1 cup water
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
2 tablespoons Italian seasoning blend (oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil)
1 Parmesan rind
1/2 cup grated Parmesan
Basil, for serving
1 pound cooked pasta, for serving
RECIPE
Optional, for a smoother sauce: Blend tomatoes in a blender until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat.
Optional, for a lower-fat sauce: Trim the fat from the pork shoulder.
Cut the pork into large pieces to fit into the pot. Season the pork shoulder all over with salt and pepper.
Add the pork to the Dutch oven and sear on each side until golden brown, about 5 minutes per side.
Remove the pork shoulder and cook the onions and garlic in the drippings until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add tomato paste and stir well to combine. Cook until tomato paste begins to stick to the bottom of the pot.
Deglaze with red wine. Reduce by half, about 2 minutes. The aroma should change from bitter to almost sweet.
Add the tomatoes; if you didn’t blend the tomatoes, crush by hand as you add to the pot. Add the water, sugar, Italian seasoning, and Parmesan rind.
Add the pork shoulder back to the pot, nestling the meat into the sauce. Bring to a simmer, then reduce to medium low heat and cook for 3 to 4 hours, or until pork is fall apart tender, stirring often. Keep the heat low enough that the sauce is lightly bubbling, but not splattering. If it is splattering, turn the heat lower and cover the pot.
(Optionally, you can put the pot into the oven at 250 F for 3 to 3 1/2 hours.)
Once pork is fall-apart tender, remove it from the gravy and reserve in a serving bowl. If desired, serve pork in large pieces as-is, or pull apart using 2 forks. Discard any remaining fat pieces.
Remove the Parmesan rind from the pot and return the remaining sauce to the stove. If you cooked the pork untrimmed and the sauce looks greasy*, turn the heat to medium high and cook, stirring vigorously, for 3 to 5 minutes, or until sauce comes together.
Remove the pot from the heat and add the Parmesan. Taste the sauce and, if needed, add salt (You may not need any at all).
If you’d like to serve the sauce as a meat sauce, return the shredded meat to the sauce and stir to combine.
Serve with basil and fresh pasta. For the best results, stir the pasta into the sauce with a splash of pasta water.
*The grease contributes to the savory flavor, this is not a bad thing! Depending on the amount of grease, you will need to simmer some of it off and emulsify the rest into the sauce. To do this, wear an apron and use a splatter guard (the high heat will cause splattering) and rapidly boil the sauce. As it starts to thicken, emulsify the remaining fat and acid by stirring vigorously. If done correctly, the sauce should be thick and creamy.
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