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How to Make Nanny’s Recipe for Italian Sunday Sauce (Gravy)



This is Nanny’s recipe for our delicious Homemade Sunday Sauce or as we called it “Gravy”. Enjoy! – Hedy

Link to my cookbook “Mangia, It’s Good For You!”: http://www.omgcakes.com/cookbook.html

Visit my blog: http://hedysplace.com/index.php/blog/

Recipe: How to Make Italian Sunday Sauce (Gravy):

This recipe makes 20/30 meatballs, depending on how large you like them.

• 1 pound sausage (or about 6 links)
• 4 Bracciole (beef, chuck or round, thinly sliced and pounded or you may substitute pork thinly sliced). Spread 2 tablespoons of Italian grated cheese, a tablespoon of parsley, half a garlic clove minced and two tablespoons of breadcrumbs on each Bracciole. Roll and secure with toothpicks or small skewers.
• 1 pound piece of boneless pork (optional)
Optional meat additions: spareribs, and pork skin
• 4-6 large garlic cloves finely chopped
• Fresh Parsley 2-3 Tablespoons chopped
• Fresh basil (6-8 leaves)
• 2 large cans of Italian plum tomatoes (2 pound 3 ounce) put through sieve or crushed in blender
• 1 large can of tomato puree or 1 small can of tomato paste (I prefer puree to paste – paste tends to make the sauce dark, heavy and salty. I like a light sauce and use puree to thicken it.)
• ¼ cup of olive oil
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 1-2 teaspoons salt (to taste)
• 4 ounces red wine for the sauce (optional)
• 4 ounces red wine for the chef

In large pot, preferably stainless steel, heat oil until very hot or the meatballs will stick to the pot. Brown meatballs on all sides in oil and remove. Brown sausage, braccioles and pork then remove. Drain off some of the fat. Brown garlic and basil in the oil you have browned the meat in, add puree and tomatoes. Season the sauce with sugar, salt and wine. Add sausage, braccioles, pork and any other meat you desire with the exception of the meatballs. Stir occasionally and simmer on low to medium heat for about one and a half hours. Put a cover on the pot, leaving the lid open a little while it simmers. Do not cover completely. Add meatballs to sauce and let simmer for additional 30 minutes. This recipe can serve anywhere from 10 to 15 people depending on whatever else you are preparing to serve with the dinner and how much macaroni you make.

‪Music Credit:
VOLARE Cover Performance By RichardBe Originally Recorded By Dean Martin.mp4‬‬. Channel – RichardBe Sings


https://www.youtube.com/user/STRUMMERBOY1975

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50 Comments

  1. What a joy to watch the generations of love! When I was a teen I was once (sadly, only once) invited to an Italian home for Sunday dinner. I couldn't believe what I saw — so much food, and not only all you want, but more!! Eat!!!!

  2. Italo Americans call red meat sauce, Gravy. 🤔🤔🤔🤔Italo Canadians kept the Italian word for meat sauce, Ragu.
    Gravy, as I understand it,is made from meat drippings thickened with flour and liquid to pour over your roast or chicken. Your recipe looks and probably tastes awesome. Like watching you cook our Sunday Gravy !!! 👍👍👍

  3. It's not 'GRAVY' it's SAUCE. "Gravy" grates on my ears. Gravy is like, Franco-American Beef Gravy — it's made from the pan drippings of MEAT – beef, pork, or chicken, (or veal). It is NEVER called "Beef Sauce," is it????? When you buy a can of tomato sauce, you can look at a thousand brands, you will not find Gravy. Ugh.

  4. Good video but nothing more irritating to me that trying to listen to a video through and around music.
    I wish YouTubers would stop doing this.

  5. I love listening to Italians talk / converse. Reminds me of my time on Long Island. Makes me appreciate good Italian food now living in California … Sheesh

  6. Anthony Bourdain brought me here. Doing this dish tonight! 🤩

  7. Those aren’t San marzano. Cento is a fraud. Real San marzano tomatoes have a serial number and designated with the letter “D.O.P.” Still a killer gravy.

  8. Hello Hedy, I hope all is well!!!! Love your videos I still pick up tips from u how can u go wrong VINO, DEAN, & ITALIAN FOOD!! hope you make new videos soon UNLESS I'm just missing them lol ciao SALUTO Vic from ny 🇮🇹🇮🇹🇮🇹🍷🍷🍷🍷🤙🤙💯💯

  9. Thank you Hedy!! Between sports notifications weather u tube, news etc. Different sounding bells are always going off lol I'll have to pay more attention!! Thanks for the quick response I'll make sure to pay more ATTENTION!! Ciao,

  10. Thanks to comedian Vic Dibitetto, I'm watching Italian cooking videos. He did a video on his wife Lucy "making the gravy".

  11. Yea we finally have a DeCiccos somewhat close in Cornwall NY. Can’t wait to shop there. Hedy, if I send you a $100 bill, can you ship me a container of this next time you make it???? 😘

  12. Yeah the word pasta didn't come into use until I was a preteen or a teen and that would have been in the seventies. But nobody used it until well after that like the mid 80s. I'm a physician Hedy and I have done some research. I can't find any reason for someone with any health condition to not use tomato paste. It must have just been that doctor doing something to make her feel better because even historically it doesn't exist to not eat tomato paste due to your health condition.

  13. Love Bracciole with the hard boiled egg in it. My Father's Mother said during the depression she would crack eggs in the gravy to cook as meat was expensive.

  14. LOL! One of my Aunts used about two feet of thread wrapping the Bracciole

  15. Im sure that those people don't know even that Taranto Is the name of a city in Italy.
    Italian american dont know even where Italy Is located in the world.
    Brashool? Brashool? Brashool? What's that? you meant "Braciole"? Can you pronounce Just One italian Word correctly?

  16. Looks great…I love the fact that your Grandson is cooking with you, that's where I learned with my mom and grandmother…just for a point of clarification, Cento are NOT real San Marzano tomatoes-very few are…they are from Campania, next to San Marzano. Cento was sued for this false advertising. Also, I only use tomatoes that are labeled DOP-translated- it means Protected Designation of Origin-which means they are only grown around Mount Vesuvius, the volcanic ash gives them their sweet and meaty taste and texture. You can find DOP at Italian markets, high end grocers or online. They may cost a little more, but well worth it! Braciole looks delicious…great video. Thanks for sharing.

  17. That's pretty much the way I do it, except after the meat is browned, I add a little diced onion in with the garlic and basil. I use tomato passata (puree) and the canned San Marzano's as well. I use an immersion blender on the tomatoes while in the pot before I add the meat back in. The immersion blender is easier to clean and less work for papa (lol).

  18. Sauce. My family never used paste, itchy. I was with you up until the Red Pack. I agree with your method. My mother mixed tomatoes. I don't do sugar at all. If the tomatoes are acidy I put a potato or carrot.

  19. I make my sauce almost exactly the same way. It is the way Nanna made it, and she was from Sicily. Start with browning the meat. Then fry some garlic and onion. Add some tomato paste and a little wine, then my dried herbs, tomatoes, water, meat, and let it cook. I don't add parsley or basilico until the end because they can get bitter. My family also puts a tiny little pinch of cinnamon, so tiny you can't really taste it, but it makes the sauce more smooth.
    My favorite has pig's feet in it. If I were on death row and had a last meal request, it would be pasta and pig's feet. I'd take that over lobster and filet mignon.

  20. The most interesting part of this video to me, is that not knowing you or your family whatsoever, we (also italian) cook exactly the same way…down to the finest details. Amazing, because I know exactly how your kitchen smells right now. We're from jersey, and im wondering if you are too, because the similarities are unreal.

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