Homemade Beef Sugo Recipes

SUGO, AN ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Swirl a bit of oil into a deep skillet-just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high flame until shimmering. Add the beef, breaking it up into small bits with your fingertips. Season the meat with salt and pepper. You might need to do this in batches as to not overcrowd the pan (remember to re-season each new batch of meat). Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.
• Lower the flame to medium-low. Add the onion to the pan. Sauté until slightly softened and golden.
• Pour in the wine, and use a spoon to scrape up any browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the wine reduces by half.
• Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and butter. Add the beef back to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to the lowest setting possible. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until meltingly tender. If not ready to serve when done, you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker, and keep it on the warm setting until ready to serve.

SUGO DI POMODORO (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add passata, basil, and salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic halves before serving.

AUTHENTIC BOLOGNESE SAUCE (SUGO ALLA BOLOGNESE)

Steps:

• Place the chopped onions, carrots, celery, and garlic clove in a food processor. Pulse the motor until the vegetables are finely chopped.
• Heat the olive oil in a large, heavy saucepan set over medium heat. Add the chopped vegetables and chopped bacon (or pancetta, which is an Italian bacon). Stir in the salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and thyme. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened, about 5 minutes.
• Add the ground veal (or beef) to the pot with the vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat, breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is no longer pink, about 6 minutes.
• Stir in the wine, tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, and the milk (or cream). Add the pinch of ground nutmeg.
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer gently, stirring occasionally, for 1 1/2 hours.
• Serve over spaghetti, cooked al dente, and pass the grated Parmesan cheese.
• Mangia!

OLD FASHIONED SICILIAN SUCCO

Steps:

• In a large pot mix together garlic, tomato sauce, tomato paste, parsley and basil. Bring sauce to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer.
• In a large bowl mix together the ground beef, ground pork, bread crumbs, parmesan cheese, garlic powder and parsley. Shape into balls the size of a child's fist. In a skillet, fry meatballs in hot olive oil until brown. Add to sauce mixture. Simmer over low heat for four hours.

SUGO DI CINGHIALE: WILD BOAR SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat up the extra-virgin olive oil in a saucepan and saute the onion, carrots, and celery until soft. Add the minced wild boar and mix with the vegetables. Add the nutmeg, salt, pepper, and 1 cup wine. Allow the wine to reduce. Then add the tomato paste and mix well with the meat. Add the remaining 1 cup wine. Let the sauce simmer on medium heat for about 20 minutes. Serve the sauce with pasta or with polenta.

MEAT SAUCE (SUGO DI CARNE)

Steps:

• Put mushrooms in bowl and add slightly hot water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Heat oil and butter in skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic and carrot. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Add pork and veal. Cook, stirring and chopping down with the side of a heavy metal spoon to break up lumps, until meats lose raw look.
• Drain mushrooms and chop coarsely. Add mushrooms to meat mixture. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook uncovered 1 hour.
• Pour sauce into saucepan. Bring to boil and skim fat from surface. Add broth and continue cooking 1 hour.

GOAT SUGO

Steps:

• Season meat with salt and pepper. Heat a large heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add the oil and then the meat, turning occasionally to brown all sides. Remove to a bowl.
• Add vegetables to pot and sauté until just soft. Add wine and cook until reduced by half, scraping up bits from the bottom of the pot. Add chicken stock, tomato puree, bay leaves, thyme, rosemary and porcini. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add meat and collected juices to pot. Cover and gently simmer until reduced by half, about 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
• Taste for seasoning. Serve with polenta and some freshly grated Parmesan.