Sunday Sauce is basically a meat-based pasta sauce (often referred to as a 'Bolognese' or 'Ragu alla Bolognese') generally cooked over a 2-4 hour period. Canadian-Italian families typically save this dish for Sundays, I assume it's because it takes so darn long to cook. A traditional Bolognese sauce is made with pancetta (Italian bacon), ground meat, tomato paste, wine and cream; and while it can be very delicious, I find it just a tad rich for my taste. Oftentimes, the most delicious of Italian dishes are composed of the most basic ingredients. So I prepare mine sans wine and cream and keep it simple.
There are four basic ways to make 'Sunday Sauce':
1. Ground beef, or a mix of ground beef AND pork or veal. Turkey also works, but isn't as flavourful.
2. Meatballs - nothing screams 'Italian Dinner' more than a good old plate of spaghetti and meatballs. Though we typically use other types of pasta with this dish. The sauce sticks better to pastas like rigatoni or penne.
3. Pork ribs - one of my favourites. Ribs cooked in this sauce are fall-off-the-bone tender and FULL of delicious flavour.
4. Italian Sausage - again, tender, juicy and full of flavour. Probably my favourite way to eat Italian sausage.
Whichever meat option you choose, however, the sauce ingredients and method stays the same. Today we will be serving a typical ground beef-based Sunday Sauce. If you've ever eaten my lasagna, this is the sauce I use.
First, you will need to gather a few ingredients. If you followed last week's post on Basic Kitchen Staples, you will have everything you need to make this sauce, and all you'll need to get is the meat.
SUNDAY SAUCE
2 large cans (or jars) of tomatoes (I like to use passata [puree], but you can use whole tomatoes and puree them yourself)
1 small can of crushed/diced tomatoes (optional - use 3 cans of tomato passata if you omit the crushed tomatoes)
1 lb lean ground beef
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 of a large onion (shallots also work well)
4 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil (or enough to generously coat the bottom of your pot)
1 good palm-full of dried oregano
salt and pepper to taste
Turn your stove on to medium heat and generously coat the bottom of your pan with oil.
Mince your garlic and chop your onion.
Begin browning your ground beef.
While your meat is browning, but still slightly pink, add your garlic and onion. Give it a good stir.
When you can really smell the garlic, and your onions have softened slightly, add your tomatoes.
*When cooking any meat in a pasta sauce, remember to add water. It is important to add as much water as you do tomatoes. So in this case, we'll be using two jars of tomato puree, and two jars of water. Use the same jars/cans that your tomatoes came in.*
Give'r a good stir. Add a good palm-full of dried oregano, and about the same amount of salt and a few good turns of freshly ground black pepper.*this likely will not be enough salt, but you will add more to taste near the end.*
Stir well to incorporate everything nicely. Turn heat up to high and bring to a slight boil. You will notice that a sort of orangey foam will appear on the surface. Simply grab a spoon and gently scrape some of the foam off. The foam is essentially just the acid from the tomatoes coming to the service. You don't have to remove it, but I do. It's your call.
Lower temperature to medium-low heat and let simmer for at least 2 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste for salt and add more if necessary. If you'd like your sauce with a bit of a kick, sprinkle in a good half-palm of red pepper flakes. I always give my sauce an extra half hour or so of low simmering, just 'cause. But it should be done by now. You want a nice, meaty sauce that is not too thick or too thin. If you do find it's too thick, simply add some more water and let it go another 45 mins to an hour.
And there you have it. Sunday Sauce alla Lady Domesticity. It's honestly one of the easiest things to make and takes little effort. So next time you spot that jar of Ragu in the supermarket, keep walking. There is a nice pot of homemade sauce waiting for you at home.
Happy Eating!
- Lady Domesticity
