Sunday Meat Sauce / Neapolitan Ragù
Throw Instant Gratification in the trash with this Sunday Dinner.
This masterpiece will teach you the benefits of patience and relaxation, as it does take a while. However, make it and then argue that it’s not worth it. Flavorful cuts of meat, slow cooked through the day until they fall right off the bone.
While recipes do vary on the meats used, a combination of pork, beef, and veal in various forms are most common. This recipe below uses a combination of boar, beef, and pork, but really mix and match to your liking, with the importance being a variety of cuts for different taste and texture.
If we have to make up rules around here use: one shoulder, one choice of rib, and one choice of ground meat.
As the sauce cooks, the tomatoes will cook down the meat until it falls off the bone, while the slightly ajar lid will let water escape, thickening the final product. If using meatballs, add these to the sauce at least an hour before serving.
What you’ll need
Serves 6
1/4 cup olive oil
1 lb boar or pork shoulder
1 lb beef or pork rib
2 hot italian sausages, decased
1 white onion, diced
8 cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup red wine
3 28oz cans, San Marzano whole tomatoes
1.5 tablespoons of Sawce Tomato Spice (Oregano, Salt, Pepper, Red Pepper)
1 bunch of fresh basil
Grated Parmesan to serve
Chopped parsley to serve
Brown the meat in the pot before beginning the sauce
Using a knife you can decase the italian sausages
Lets Do This
In a large pot, heat half the olive oil on medium high heat
Brown the meat one at a time. As meat browns, remove from the pot and set aside
Drain off some of the fat, and add additional oil if needed
Add the onion and cook until it begins to brown
Lower heat to medium low, add garlic and cook until light golden
Deglaze the pan with the red wine and cook until the wine has reduced to roughly 1/4 cup
Add the tomatoes and seasoning and bring to a boil
Reduce to a simmer, add the basil and the browned meats
Partially cover with the lid, and simmer for 6 hours, stirring occasionally
Remove the bone-in meat, removing the bones. Shred with a fork, and add back into the sauce. If using meatballs, add to the sauce.
Cook another 30-60 minutes
Serving
The pictures below will use an orecchiette pasta. For hearty meat sauces, any pasta with holes or divots works best, allowing the sauce to fill those pockets.
Bring a pot of water to a boil, adding salt
Meanwhile, heat tomato sauce in a pan
Add pasta to the water, and cook 1 minute less than instructed
Reserve 1/4 cup of pasta water and drain the pasta.
Add pasta to the tomato sauce, increase heat to high, and add some reserved pasta water, stirring rapidly
Drop in a slice of butter or olive oil as you stir
When pasta is coated, remove from heat and stir through cheese and parsley if using
Immediately plate and serve. Top with cheese and parsley
Be sure to stir in the cheese off the heat to not burn
Incorporating the sauce and pasta over high heat allows the sauce to thicken and wrap the pasta
Combining with the starch water and butter or oil fat creates a silky smooth sauce
Ready to cook? Get the Sawce!
