Italian Sunday Dinner~You Call It Gravy, I Call It Ragu

This entry is part 2 of 2 in the series Traditional Sunday Dinner

Italian Sunday Dinner Tradition Goes On
Italian Sunday Dinner~You Call It Gravy, I Call It Ragu

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You Mean the Bottled Stuff?

No, of course not! The actual french term is Ragout, which is, “a thick hearty stew, cooked over low heat over many hours.” To Italians, this is every Sunday, and Thursdays. It is customary to have sauce two days a week. The traditional Ragu Molfettesse is very intricate. It has beef cubes, pork, sausage, meatballs, bracciola’s, lamb, and veal. It’s usually started around 8am and it is done around noon or 1pm, dinner is at 2pm sharp!

Here is a good read about Italian Sunday Dinner Traditions. There’s a basic meat sauce recipe that is to die for, after all it’s been in my family for generations! So if you’re ready to delve into old world cooking, keep on reading for some wonderful recipes.

We’re going to start out with some old fashioned meatballs, then we’ll talk about the sauce.

Guests of Honor for the Meatball Party:

My Nona used to say that every ingredient is a special guest. They come to the party to help spice up the fun. I always found this funny since she was so old fashioned, at least, that’s what I thought. When she would come and visit us from Italy, she took over our kitchen, and I used to sit in it and “help”. So let’s get this party started!

You Will Need:

2lbs lean ground beef
1lb ground pork
1lb ground veal or lamb
1 cup Pecorrino Romano cheese
1 head of garlic minced
2tbsp Chopped Fresh Parsley
8 eggs
1/4 cup milk
1-2 cups breadcrumbs (You can use seasoned if you’d like.)
Salt and Pepper to taste (about a pinch of each.)

Hardware:

fork
large bowl

Getting the Party Started

Nona used to say that we had to treat our ingredients like they were special, because each ingredient played a special part in the end result of what we were making. So if you’re ingredients are ready to go, let’s get started.

In the large bowl crack the eggs.
Add the milk, cheese, garlic, and the salt and pepper.
Mix the ingredients together until well blended. It will look a little creamy and some of the cheese will be floating on top.
Add the ground beef to the mixture, you can use the fork if you want, but using your hands will be a lot easier to incorporate everything together.
Once the meat and eggs are mixed well, slowly add the bread crumbs. The breadcrumbs will help absorb the rest of the egg.
Once the ingredients are all blended together the fun stuff begins!

Rolling the Meatballs

What I normally do is I keep a small bowl of luke warm water so that I can wet my hands before rolling. I usually have to re-wet every 5-6 meatballs. By wetting your hands the mixture doesn’t stick to your hands as much and you get a much rounder shape. (A Secret of the trade has now been passed on to you! Feel honored!) Now on to the fun part!

There’s no right way to roll a meatball really, you can make them as big or as little as you want. You can pinch off a big portion at a time and roll them into big meatballs or pinch off a smaller amount and make smaller ones. It’s entirely up to you. Whatever you decide to do the end result will be delicious! I usually make medium sized to big sized when it’s just for adults or for a party. When I’m making baked ziti I make mini meat balls. Just use your best judgement.

Cooking The Meatballs

I do not fry, broil, or bake my meatballs, not all the time. If I’m using lean cuts of meat, there’s really no need to. I think of the meatballs as a way of flavoring the sauce. So I make the basic sauce and I simmer it for about 2 hours. When the sauce has reduced, I then add the meatballs. I then let it simmer for an additional two hours with the meatballs. Make your favorite pasta and you’re done!

Buon Appetitto and Enjoy!

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Maria

Comments

Susan Bewley says:

February 21, 2013 at 12:07 PM

Just pinned! Sounds very yummy!
Susan Bewley recently posted…Chocolate Cake Donuts Recipe

Dee Mauser says:

February 21, 2013 at 1:31 PM

A girl after my own heart — an Italian cook. I not only love to cook but being an Italian household we eat a lot of Italian food. I’m partial to it. Can’t wait to give this a try. Thanks!
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Karen says:

February 23, 2013 at 4:43 PM

My husband is Italian, and I make our own “Gravy” from scratch once a week, though it makes enough for 2 full meals (and leftovers). I just freeze it until later in the week, then thaw and mix with whatever we are having. It’s definitely an Italian tradition
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Cecile says:

February 25, 2013 at 12:55 PM

My husband is Italian and when he has time he makes the sauce from scratch. Otherwise we just use Ragu!
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Tiffany C. says:

February 25, 2013 at 3:02 PM

I’ve been telling my husband that I’m ready for a meatball dinner. We haven’t made meatballs in forever. Your meatballs look delicious.
Tiffany C. recently posted…March Photo A Day Challenge 2013 #7SDDPhotoADay

Darcy says:

February 26, 2013 at 10:21 PM

I really need to start making my own sauce and meatballs. The jar sauces have too much sugar in them.
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Brandy Myers says:

February 27, 2013 at 10:41 AM

These look delicious! I like the idea of letting them simmer to really take on the flavors of the sauce. I have a confession to make that I have never made meatballs but it looks like there will be a first time in my near future. Thank you for sharing your family traditions.