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SUNDAY SAUCE
SUNDAY SAUCE
DANIEL BELLINO ZWICKE Amazon Author Page
Category:
Cooking/Food/Wine
Publisher: Broadway Fifth Press
ISBN-10: 1490991026
Pages: 278
ISBN-13: 9781490991023
SUNDAY SAUCE? It's The Supreme Dish of ITALIAN-AMERICA, Steep in Traditon and lore .. SUNDAY SAUCE Features this wonderful Italian-American Dish SUNDAY SAUCE aka GRAVY, as well as many ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITE DISHES ..
"Come here kid, lem-me show you something.You never know when you're gonna have to cook for 20 guys some day." Pete Clemenza says to Michael Corleone (Al Pacino) in Francis Ford Coppola's The Godfather. it's one of the most famed movie scenes in history and of great importance to Italian-Americans. Clemenza is making "Gravy" aka Sunday Sauce, the Supreme Dish of Italian-America, and the dish that brings Italian Families together each and every Sunday. Learn How to Make Clemenza's Sunday Sauce, Meatballs, Pasta Fazool, Moma DiMaggio's Gravy, Goodfellas Sauce, and all of the great favorites of The Italian American Table. Cook Sinatra's Spaghetti & Meatballs, Italian Wedding Soup and more, and delight in the many stories and factual information written by Italian Food & Wine Writer Daniel Bellino Zwicke. This book is filled with Joy & Love, and you will get many years of both, reading, cooking and eating the dishes of SUNDAY SAUCE "when Italian-Americans Eat"
Excerpt
Of all the fine traditions of the Italian-American enclave in the United States, the Sunday afternoon ritual of making and eating a Sunday Sauce, is Italian-America’s most Time-Honored of all. Mamma, Grandma (Nonna) will make her celebrated “Sunday Sauce,” also known simply as “Gravy,” it is glorious. Sunday Sauce? What is it? Well, first off, Sunday Sauce, or as some call it, “Gravy” is without question thee number-1 undisputed “Supreme Dish” of Italian-American Cuisine and the Italian-American enclave. When it comes to food, it doesn’t get much better than Sunday Sauce. Ok, now, to be more specific for those who may not know about Sunday Sauce, there are a number of variations on the theme. Most Sunday Sauces are made with Italian Sausages, Braciole, and Meatballs. Some people make their versions with; Beef or Pork Neck, while others make their Gravy (Sunday Sauce) with just Sausage and Meatballs or Meatballs, Sausages, and Braciole, these later two being the most popular. Some may throw some Chicken Thighs or a Veal Shank into this mix. Sunday Sauces can be made with any combination of these aforementioned meats. The meats are slowly simmered for several hours in a “Sauce” made with tomatoes, minced onions, and garlic. I generally like to make my Sunday Sauce with Sausages, Meatballs, and Pork Ribs. Other times I’ll make it with Sausage, Meatballs, and Braciole. An old tradition in some families is that mother or Grandma would start the Sauce early on a Sunday morning, get it simmering away on top of the stove, then put it on a very low flame and let it slowly simmer for a couple hours more while everyone goes to Church. When you get back home, the Sauce would be ready, “ready to be devoured that is!”
Our family would usually start our great Sunday meal with the most traditional Italian-American-Antipasto of roast peppers, Salami, olives, Celery, and Provolone. After that, it’s on to the “Main Event” of Maccheroni and Sunday Sauce, a dish which is something so Blissfully and Pleasurably Sublime, that it is almost “Sinful,” yes it is.
When a meal centered around a Sunday Sauce is announced, one can have visions of Blissful Ecstasy at thoughts of eating Pasta laden with Italian Sausages, Savory Meatballs, Beef Braciola, and succulent Pork Ribs. All this has been slowly simmered to culinary perfection. Yes just the thoughts can enrapture one into a Delightful Frenzy of the Most Blissful Feelings of smelling, seeing, and consuming all the ingredients, the Sausages, Meatballs and Gravy. Yes a Sunday Sauce can and does have such effects on one’s mind, body- and-soul. And, I do not want to sound prejudice, but this is pure fact, it is the Male of the Italian-American species who Love The Sunday Sauce in all its form, far more than the female sex. True! Meatballs too! And Italian-American men and boys Love and hold oh-so-dear, their Meatballs, Sunday Sauce, Sausage & Peppers, and Meatball Parm Sandwiches.
The Sunday Sauce Gravy that my mother would make was with Meatballs and Beef Braciole. My memories are vivid watching my mother stuffing the Braciole with garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano, and Pignoli Nuts, then tying the bundles with butchers cord to hold the Braciole together as they slowly simmered in the Gravy. Another fond memory was helping my mother roll and shape the Meatballs.
As for me, my Sunday Sauce can vary depending on my mood. One thing I Love to do when making my sauce is to add Pork Spareribs to the “Gravy.” “Gravy” by the way is what many people in the New York, New Jersey (Soprano Territory) area call Sunday Sauce, particularly in Brooklyn. Not many people make their Sunday Sauce with the Pork Ribs, but to me they are phenomenal, and anyone who tries them, they are immediately hooked. As I think back, none of the ladies in our family put Pork Spare Ribs into their Gravy. I guess I read or heard about some people doing it, and I believe it was about 16 years ago or so that I started adding the Ribs into my Sunday Sauce, and I haven’t looked back ever since. I Love them, as does everyone whom I serve them to, and when I make a Sauce, these babies go fast.
Whenever I make my sauce with Pork Ribs, my friends go nuts for them, and most are surprised, as they might never have had Ribs in a Sunday Gravy before. They didn’t know that you could use Pork Spareribs.
The ribs are traditional with some but not all. It is quite a shame for those who don’t add the ribs as they give the sauce a quite wonderful flavor, and the Ribs themselves, “Yumm.” The Ribs that simmer long and slow become quite tender, and they literally “Melt-in-Your-Mouth.”
Whenever I make the “Sauce,” and I’m dishing it out to friends and family, I always make sure that I have my fare share of the Ribs. Pork Ribs cooked in this manner, simmering in the sauce are oh so succulent and tasty, they are Beyond-Belief-Tasty. These Sunday Sauce Ribs are, “Out-of-this-World” and friends, one-by-one, go nuts for them.
And what to serve with the Sunday Sauce you ask? Any short Maccheroni such as Rigatoni, Ziti, or Gnocchi are best.
The rituals of cooking, serving, and eating Sunday Sauce is a time honored one. It is a quite a beautiful thing, same as making a Mole in Mexico or Cassoulet in France. They are all wonderful things of beauty that delight mans every sensory perception; sight, smell, taste, and feel. First, you probably smell the “Sauce’s” heady aroma waft through the air, they smell is so sublime it gets your juices flowing. First you smell it, you want it and can’t wait to sink you teeth into it. Second you will see it in all its gloriousness. You will then eat, whereupon you taste and feel and experience one of Italian-America’s greatest pleasures, the Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy. A Sunday Sauce (Gravy) takes time and effort to make. It is made and served with Love. These great dishes bring together friends and family, and for Italian-Americans, the Sunday Sauce is The King of all dishes.
One thing that makes Sunday Sauce Gravy so great and wonderful is that it is a home-cooked dish. In general you do not find Sunday Sauce on restaurant menus, it’s pretty much a home cooked meal. I’m not saying you never see it on Italian Restaurant menus, but it is extremely rare. And it is for this reason Sunday Sauce, a.k.a. “Gravy” is a mystery to many Americans outside the Italian-American enclave. In a way, we like it that way. “Hey you got to keep some things to yourself.” We’ve given America just about everything else.
If you utter the term Sunday Sauce to any number of millions of Italian-Americans, they start salivating at the simple mention of its name. The wheels start turning in their heads, with thoughts of how tasty it is, with its various components; the Meatballs, Sausages, Braciole, maybe Pork Ribs, Beef Neck, or Pig Skin Braciole (Coteca), the Pasta, and the Gravy itself. They think about sitting at the table with friends and or family, with people they love. They’ll ponder the Antipasti, wondering what it might be; Mixed Salumi, Baked Clams, Grilled Calamari? And with the meal, there will surely be Wine, Italian Wine, maybe a good Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. With Uncle Frank and Uncle Tony, the wine was usually Carlo Rossi Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy, from two solid Italian-American winemakers.
When thinking of a Sunday Sauce, you’ll think about the warmth in the air, of loved ones, Sinatra, Dino, and the Sunday Sauce, “It’s a beautiful thing!” If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for some time, plan a get-together with friends and family, soon. Sunday Sauce, It brings people together, in a most Of all the fine traditions of the Italian-American enclave in the United States, the Sunday afternoon ritual of making and eating a Sunday Sauce, is Italian-America’s most Time-Honored of all. Mamma, Grandma (Nonna) will make her celebrated “Sunday Sauce,” also known simply as “Gravy,” it is glorious. Sunday Sauce? What is it? Well, first off, Sunday Sauce, or as some call it, “Gravy” is without question thee number-1 undisputed “Supreme Dish” of Italian-American Cuisine and the Italian-American enclave. When it comes to food, it doesn’t get much better than Sunday Sauce. Ok, now, to be more specific for those who may not know about Sunday Sauce, there are a number of variations on the theme. Most Sunday Sauces are made with Italian Sausages, Braciole, and Meatballs. Some people make their versions with; Beef or Pork Neck, while others make their Gravy (Sunday Sauce) with just Sausage and Meatballs or Meatballs, Sausages, and Braciole, these later two being the most popular. Some may throw some Chicken Thighs or a Veal Shank into this mix. Sunday Sauces can be made with any combination of these aforementioned meats. The meats are slowly simmered for several hours in a “Sauce” made with tomatoes, minced onions, and garlic. I generally like to make my Sunday Sauce with Sausages, Meatballs, and Pork Ribs. Other times I’ll make it with Sausage, Meatballs, and Braciole. An old tradition in some families is that mother or Grandma would start the Sauce early on a Sunday morning, get it simmering away on top of the stove, then put it on a very low flame and let it slowly simmer for a couple hours more while everyone goes to Church. When you get back home, the Sauce would be ready, “ready to be devoured that is!”
Our family would usually start our great Sunday meal with the most traditional Italian-American-Antipasto of roast peppers, Salami, olives, Celery, and Provolone. After that, it’s on to the “Main Event” of Maccheroni and Sunday Sauce, a dish which is something so Blissfully and Pleasurably Sublime, that it is almost “Sinful,” yes it is.
When a meal centered around a Sunday Sauce is announced, one can have visions of Blissful Ecstasy at thoughts of eating Pasta laden with Italian Sausages, Savory Meatballs, Beef Braciola, and succulent Pork Ribs. All this has been slowly simmered to culinary perfection. Yes just the thoughts can enrapture one into a Delightful Frenzy of the Most Blissful Feelings of smelling, seeing, and consuming all the ingredients, the Sausages, Meatballs and Gravy. Yes a Sunday Sauce can and does have such effects on one’s mind, body- and-soul. And, I do not want to sound prejudice, but this is pure fact, it is the Male of the Italian-American species who Love The Sunday Sauce in all its form, far more than the female sex. True! Meatballs too! And Italian-American men and boys Love and hold oh-so-dear, their Meatballs, Sunday Sauce, Sausage & Peppers, and Meatball Parm Sandwiches.
The Sunday Sauce Gravy that my mother would make was with Meatballs and Beef Braciole. My memories are vivid watching my mother stuffing the Braciole with garlic, parsley, Pecorino Romano, and Pignoli Nuts, then tying the bundles with butchers cord to hold the Braciole together as they slowly simmered in the Gravy. Another fond memory was helping my mother roll and shape the Meatballs.
As for me, my Sunday Sauce can vary depending on my mood. One thing I Love to do when making my sauce is to add Pork Spareribs to the “Gravy.” “Gravy” by the way is what many people in the New York, New Jersey (Soprano Territory) area call Sunday Sauce, particularly in Brooklyn. Not many people make their Sunday Sauce with the Pork Ribs, but to me they are phenomenal, and anyone who tries them, they are immediately hooked. As I think back, none of the ladies in our family put Pork Spare Ribs into their Gravy. I guess I read or heard about some people doing it, and I believe it was about 16 years ago or so that I started adding the Ribs into my Sunday Sauce, and I haven’t looked back ever since. I Love them, as does everyone whom I serve them to, and when I make a Sauce, these babies go fast.
Whenever I make my sauce with Pork Ribs, my friends go nuts for them, and most are surprised, as they might never have had Ribs in a Sunday Gravy before. They didn’t know that you could use Pork Spareribs.
The ribs are traditional with some but not all. It is quite a shame for those who don’t add the ribs as they give the sauce a quite wonderful flavor, and the Ribs themselves, “Yumm.” The Ribs that simmer long and slow become quite tender, and they literally “Melt-in-Your-Mouth.”
Whenever I make the “Sauce,” and I’m dishing it out to friends and family, I always make sure that I have my fare share of the Ribs. Pork Ribs cooked in this manner, simmering in the sauce are oh so succulent and tasty, they are Beyond-Belief-Tasty. These Sunday Sauce Ribs are, “Out-of-this-World” and friends, one-by-one, go nuts for them.
And what to serve with the Sunday Sauce you ask? Any short Maccheroni such as Rigatoni, Ziti, or Gnocchi are best.
The rituals of cooking, serving, and eating Sunday Sauce is a time honored one. It is a quite a beautiful thing, same as making a Mole in Mexico or Cassoulet in France. They are all wonderful things of beauty that delight mans every sensory perception; sight, smell, taste, and feel. First, you probably smell the “Sauce’s” heady aroma waft through the air, they smell is so sublime it gets your juices flowing. First you smell it, you want it and can’t wait to sink you teeth into it. Second you will see it in all its gloriousness. You will then eat, whereupon you taste and feel and experience one of Italian-America’s greatest pleasures, the Sunday Sauce Italian Gravy. A Sunday Sauce (Gravy) takes time and effort to make. It is made and served with Love. These great dishes bring together friends and family, and for Italian-Americans, the Sunday Sauce is The King of all dishes.
One thing that makes Sunday Sauce Gravy so great and wonderful is that it is a home-cooked dish. In general you do not find Sunday Sauce on restaurant menus, it’s pretty much a home cooked meal. I’m not saying you never see it on Italian Restaurant menus, but it is extremely rare. And it is for this reason Sunday Sauce, a.k.a. “Gravy” is a mystery to many Americans outside the Italian-American enclave. In a way, we like it that way. “Hey you got to keep some things to yourself.” We’ve given America just about everything else.
If you utter the term Sunday Sauce to any number of millions of Italian-Americans, they start salivating at the simple mention of its name. The wheels start turning in their heads, with thoughts of how tasty it is, with its various components; the Meatballs, Sausages, Braciole, maybe Pork Ribs, Beef Neck, or Pig Skin Braciole (Coteca), the Pasta, and the Gravy itself. They think about sitting at the table with friends and or family, with people they love. They’ll ponder the Antipasti, wondering what it might be; Mixed Salumi, Baked Clams, Grilled Calamari? And with the meal, there will surely be Wine, Italian Wine, maybe a good Chianti or Montepulciano d’Abruzzo. With Uncle Frank and Uncle Tony, the wine was usually Carlo Rossi Paisano or Gallo Hearty Burgundy, from two solid Italian-American winemakers.
When thinking of a Sunday Sauce, you’ll think about the warmth in the air, of loved ones, Sinatra, Dino, and the Sunday Sauce, “It’s a beautiful thing!” If you’ve never done it, “Try it!” If you haven’t cooked one for some time, plan a get-together with friends and family, soon. Sunday Sauce, It brings people together, in a most Delightful way, and as the Big Boys would say, “It’s a Beautiful Thing.”
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