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Per serving
Calculating nutrition...
- 1
Make the meatballs
Heat the oven to 400°F. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste, 1 tablespoon each finely chopped basil and parsley, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, the garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix gently with your hands — overworking makes them tough — and roll into 1-inch meatballs. You should get 20 to 24.
- 2
Brown the meatballs
Arrange the meatballs on a wire rack set over a sheet pan, about half an inch apart. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, just until they take on color. They finish cooking in the gravy, so don't fuss over the centers. Set aside.
- 3
Sear the meats
Set a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the oxtails and spare ribs well with salt and pepper. Working in batches so nothing steams, sear the meat deeply on all sides, then move it to a plate. Sear the sausage links until browned all over and set them aside too. Those browned bits on the bottom of the pot are the whole point — leave them there.
- 4
Crush the tomatoes
Empty the cans of whole peeled tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand, leaving a few larger pieces for texture. Use San Marzano if you can find them — it's worth it.
- 5
Build the base
Lower the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and the finely chopped onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the minced garlic and the remaining tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes until it smells sweet and toasty.
- 6
Deglaze and combine
Pour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Add the crushed tomatoes, the grated carrots (they quietly take the edge off the acidity), the remaining basil, parsley, oregano, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then nestle in all the seared meat, the sausages, and the meatballs. Drop in a Parmesan rind if you have one.
- 7
Simmer low and slow
Bring it to a lazy boil, then drop to low and let it go 2 to 3 hours, stirring now and then. It's done when the gravy has thickened, the meatballs and sausage are cooked through, and the meat slides off the bone. Fish out the rind. Serve the gravy over rigatoni or spaghetti with plenty of grated Parmesan, and bring the meat out on a platter as the second course.
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Sunday Gravy
Created by: PastaAndProsciutto
Ingredients
- 3/4 lb ground beef
- 1/4 lb ground pork
- 1 lb Italian sausage
- 1 1/2 lb oxtails
- 1 1/2 lb pork spare ribs
- 1/2 cup plain breadcrumbs
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
- 14 oz tomato paste
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 yellow onion
- 4 garlic
- 1 cup red wine
- 84 oz whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 carrots
- 1/4 cup fresh basil
- 2 tbsp fresh parsley
- 2 tsp dried oregano
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- 2 tsp salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- Make the meatballsHeat the oven to 400°F. In a bowl, combine the ground beef, ground pork, breadcrumbs, 1/4 cup finely grated Parmesan, the eggs, 2 tablespoons of the tomato paste, 1 tablespoon each finely chopped basil and parsley, 1 teaspoon of the oregano, the garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and a few grinds of black pepper. Mix gently with your hands — overworking makes them tough — and roll into 1-inch meatballs. You should get 20 to 24.
- Brown the meatballsArrange the meatballs on a wire rack set over a sheet pan, about half an inch apart. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, just until they take on color. They finish cooking in the gravy, so don't fuss over the centers. Set aside.
- Sear the meatsSet a large heavy pot over medium-high heat. Season the oxtails and spare ribs well with salt and pepper. Working in batches so nothing steams, sear the meat deeply on all sides, then move it to a plate. Sear the sausage links until browned all over and set them aside too. Those browned bits on the bottom of the pot are the whole point — leave them there.
- Crush the tomatoesEmpty the cans of whole peeled tomatoes into a bowl and crush them by hand, leaving a few larger pieces for texture. Use San Marzano if you can find them — it's worth it.
- Build the baseLower the heat to medium. Add the olive oil and the finely chopped onion and cook 4 to 5 minutes until soft. Stir in the minced garlic and the remaining tomato paste and cook another 2 minutes until it smells sweet and toasty.
- Deglaze and combinePour in the red wine and scrape the bottom of the pot clean. Add the crushed tomatoes, the grated carrots (they quietly take the edge off the acidity), the remaining basil, parsley, oregano, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt. Stir, then nestle in all the seared meat, the sausages, and the meatballs. Drop in a Parmesan rind if you have one.
- Simmer low and slowBring it to a lazy boil, then drop to low and let it go 2 to 3 hours, stirring now and then. It's done when the gravy has thickened, the meatballs and sausage are cooked through, and the meat slides off the bone. Fish out the rind. Serve the gravy over rigatoni or spaghetti with plenty of grated Parmesan, and bring the meat out on a platter as the second course.