| Level: | Intermediate |
| Total: | 4 hr |
| Prep: | 15 min |
| Cook: | 3 hr 45 min |
| Yield: | about 1 quart |
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 pound mixed chopped meat (veal, pork and beef)
- 2 – 4 pork neck bones
- 1/2 pound sweet Italian sausage
- 1 small lamb shank
- 1 pound mixed chopped meat (veal, pork, beef)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
- Black pepper
- 1/4 cup grated Locatelli Romano
- 1/2 cup bread crumbs
- 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- Olive oil, for browning
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3 to 4 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
- 3 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
- Black pepper
- Salt
- A few pinches sugar
- 1 handful chopped fresh Italian parsley
- 8 basil leaves
- A few pinches grated Locatelli Romano
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce
- 2 cups water
Instructions
- Prepare the meats: In a large skillet, brown all the meats in the olive oil. There is no need to cook the meats all the way through. Remember to pierce the sausage before cooking to allow fats and water to be released. Set meats aside.
- Prepare meatballs: Combine all ingredients except the olive oil in a large bowl. Form the meatballs with your hands (there should be about 12). Fry in the olive oil over medium heat until browned, but not cooked all the way through. Set aside.
- Prepare the gravy: Saute garlic in the olive oil in the same skillet used to saute the meats. Add tomato paste and cook for a few minutes. In a large saucepot, combine the remaining ingredients except the meats and the tomato paste-garlic mixture and simmer. When the mixture begins to bubble, add all the meats and the meatballs and the tomato paste-garlic mixture. Stir about every 15 minutes, being sure to scrape the bottom of the pot to prevent burning and sticking. If the gravy seems too thick, add a little water at a time. Simmer for about 3 hours, keeping the lid of the pot slightly askew to prevent condensation of the gravy.
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 56 servings |
| Calories | 99 |
| Total Fat | 5 g |
| Saturated Fat | 2 g |
| Carbohydrates | 5 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 1 g |
| Sugar | 3 g |
| Protein | 8 g |
| Cholesterol | 27 mg |
| Sodium | 235 mg |
Reviews
best sauce ever. stop making my grandmas recipe and started using vita’s ever since i saw her win the contest many years ago. i do not add the 1 lb. of mixed meat to the sauce though, but outstanding.
i remember this recipe from a contest she won. Very good and very authentic Italian food.
Been making this one for years. Vita was on Sara Moulton’s show Sara’s Secrets. I don’t use the pork neck bones or lamb shank because I don’t have any idea where to acquire them. It works fine without. This one is a real winner.