In Memory of Donna and Mike Durkin Sr.
Contributed by Mike Durkin
“And you know it’s done when the gravy reduces about an inch”
Feel free to listen to this playlist while reading and making this dish. This playlist is composed of songs reminding me of my mom and dad.
Sure
You can open a jar of Ragu
Or whatever storebrand jar of sauce and use that
But
Putting in the work
Spending all day
To make your gravy
That’s what’s up
You can open a jar of Ragu
Or whatever storebrand jar of sauce and use that
But
Putting in the work
Spending all day
To make your gravy
That’s what’s up
Slowing down and savoring the steps
Sunday suppers
Long-form improv approach to cooking
Make to your taste and your liking
Below is what I used. No measurements, no times, just intuition, feeling, and the senses.
Tossing the football around in between the early and late games
Phil Simms to Dave Brown to Danny Kannell to Kerry Collins
Slowing down and savoring the steps
Sunday suppers
Long-form improv approach to cooking
Make to your taste and your liking
Spending all day, simmering the sunday sauce
Smells perfuming the whole house
Feeling a deep connection with the sauce and your ancestors
Recapturing moments in time
Being present in how your body responds to preparing the components of the dish. The rolling of the meatballs, the searing of the sausage, the opening of the can of tomato sauce. All of those moments are important, all should not be rushed.
This is the Sunday Gravy my mom would prepare each Sunday. While my dad and I would watch and play football, passed down from her grandmother. A recipe I’ll pass down to my children.
This is the Sunday Gravy my mom would prepare each Sunday. While my dad and I would watch and play football, passed down from her grandmother. A recipe I’ll pass down to my children.
Memories of taking slices of bread or cooked pasta and dipping in the gravy to taste test it. But it wouldn't be done until 6pm, until dinner time.
And you know it’s done when the gravy reduces about an inch
The ingredients can be purchased at any local grocery store, or specialty Italian store. This is a simple, and hearty meal, no need to find the most expensive version of the ingredients listed. What is important is the attention to detail, freshness of meats and herbs.
This is a version without beef (chopped meat as my mom would say). I don’t eat beef, so I substitute it with turkey meat. You can change and adjust to your liking. But the blueprint is here. Everything here is to taste. Sometimes there will be measurements, sometimes just approximations.
You can change and adjust to your liking. But the blueprint is here. Everything here is to taste. Sometimes there will be measurements, sometimes just approximations.
What you’ll need:
Meatballs
1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground turkey
2 eggs
Cup of breadcrumbs
Seasonings (italian parsley, oregano, thyme, ground garlic, paprika, salt and pepper)
Grated Parmesan
Half of a decent size onion
Maybe some milk
Sweet/Hot Italian Sausage
Aromatics
Chili flakes
Garlic
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
½ Onion
Tomato paste
Rosemary
Basil
Parsley
Olive oil
Sauce
2 cans of san marzano whole-peeled tomatoes
Sugar
Salt and pepper
Italian seasonings
Cup of water
Directions
Brown the sausage. We don’t need to fully cook the sausage and meatballs, they will cook through as the gravy reduces. Remove sausage links.
Loosely combine all the ingredients to the meatballs, forming them in to balls
Put a nice crust on the meat balls by searing them in the same pan as the sausage
Remove meatballs
Cook the onion, cook the garlic, and add in all of the aromatics
Pour aromatics and oil from pan and transfer into a large sauce pot
Add in crushed tomatoes, sugar, salt and pepper, cook for about 5 minutes on high, then add in the meats
Reduce heat to low and let simmer for at least 8 hours, or however long you have the time for. The longer the better, but the sauce would be ready to serve in 2-3 hours, or until the meats have cooked through. Taste it every once and again with some bread or cooked pasta.
I’ll use this gravy and make baked ziti, maybe just spaghetti and meatballs, maybe to top chicken parmesan.
Thinking of my mom and dad, passing on the recipe.
And you will know it’s done when the gravy reduces about an inch.
And you will know it’s done when the gravy reduces about an inch.
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