Gravy or sauce?
Let’s settle this argument once and for all.
As a Sicilian raised by serious Italian cooks, the red stuff over pasta is sauce.
Gravy is a type of sauce made from thickened meat juices – like the stuff you pour over your turkey. Gravy is thickened with flour (or cornstarch).
Sauces can be gravy or cheese or fruit.
Mia Nonna (my grandmother) would call a certain type of sauce gravy: Could be a heavy-meat mixture cooked for hours in tomato paste or tomato sauce. It’s more meat than tomato.
Sauce can have meat in it – but the term means a tomato sauce.
Now that we’ve cleared up that argument, let’s get cooking!
This is a version of tomato sauce that’s easy and inexpensive. The sugar is the key: Canned tomatoes taste “tinny” and the sugar eliminates that aluminum tinge. You can skip the sugar if you want.
Ingredients: (For 6 adult-sized servings)
- 2 tbs of oil
- 1 pound of ground beef (You can also use ground turkey, pork, or chicken.)
- 1 medium onion, diced
- 3-5 cloves of garlic, minced
- 2 red, yellow, or green peppers, diced (if you want)
- 28 ounce can of tomato sauce or crushed tomatoes
- 1/4 cup water
- 1 tbs dried basil
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp sugar
Directions:
- Sauté the ground beef or other meat you have selected over medium heat in a deep pot. If you are using a lean cut or poultry, you will need a little oil so it doesn’t stick or burn. Set aside. You can drain the oil if you choose – or keep it for extra flavor (but more calories). You can skip adding meat completely – or sauté diced sausage and add that as an option.
- Using the same pan or pot, sauté your onion, garlic, and peppers on medium heat in 1-2 tbs of oil until they are tender and a bit caramelized. (About 5 minutes.) Hint: For more intense flavor roast your onions, garlic, and peppers! Toss the diced onions, garlic, and peppers in the 1-2 tbs of oil and roast in a 400 degree oven for 15 minutes.
- Return the meat or poultry to the pot with the cooked onions, garlic, and peppers. Add the remaining ingredients. You can add additional spices – like rosemary, oregano, and parsley. Be creative!
- Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and let simmer 20-30 minutes (stirring occasionally). If it’s too thick, add a little water.
- Serve with parmesan or asiago cheese over the pasta of your choice.
Enjoy!
