Mama Mauros Red Sauce Recipes

MAMA MAURO'S RED SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a pot of water to a boil. Score the top of each tomato with a ¿T.¿ Drop the tomatoes in the water for 2 minutes, then remove with tongs and let cool. Once cool, peel off the skins and squish out most of the seeds of the tomatoes; you can use plastic gloves to handle the tomatoes during this process. (If you like you can freeze the tomatoes at this point and continue making the sauce at another time.)
• Heat the oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic, Italian seasoning and oregano and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan by scraping up any browned bits from the bottom.
• Add the tomatoes and bay leaf and increase the heat to medium-high. Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until the sauce is thickened and deep red, 50 to 60 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a bit of sugar if it is too acidic. Discard the bay leaf. Add the basil when ready serve.

THE MAURO FAMILY SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• For the meatballs: In a large mixing bowl, mix together the milk, bread, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper to make a panade. Whisk in the cheese, parsley and eggs until uniform. Add in the chuck, pork and veal and, using your hands, mix together until combined. Do not overwork! Do a tiny test meatball to gauge seasoning. Once the mixture is properly seasoned, roll it into twelve 3-inch meatballs.
• For the sauce: Heat the olive oil in large Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add the sausage and brown on each side until golden, about 5 minutes. Set aside. Next, brown all sides of the meatballs until dark brown, about 5 minutes a side. Set aside. Drain out all but 2 tablespoons of the rendered fat.
• Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden around the edges, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the Italian seasoning and garlic and cook, stirring constantly, until the garlic is fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the wine and deglaze the pan, scraping up any bits. Season with salt and pepper.
• Add the tomatoes and increase the heat to medium high. Add the sausage, meatballs and neck bones and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook with the lid on until the meatballs are no longer pink in the middle and are about 170 degrees F, about 1 hour. Remove the sausage and meatballs from the sauce (leave in the neck bones) and refrigerate.
• Simmer the sauce, uncovered, until the neck bone meat is falling-off-the bone tender, skimming the fat off the top and stirring frequently, another 3 hours. (After about 2 1/2 hours, remove the sausage and meatballs from the refrigerator to come back to room temperature.)
• Add the sausage and meatballs back to the sauce and bring to a simmer again for 10 minutes to heat the meat up. Add salt and pepper to taste, then add the fresh basil just before serving.
• Serve on top of a mound of mostaccioli or rigatoni, with a side of hot giardiniera.