Recipes from the family pantry
MEATBALL'S AND PASTA
serves 3-4
We are always asked, "what's the best way to eat these meatballs?" So, here is a quick and easy way to make dinner with our Sunday gravy, any type of Italian pasta and grass-fed beef/pork meatballs.
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16oz Sunday Gravy, or any good quality tomato sauce.
1 package meatballs (about 1 lb)
1T olive oil
6oz of your favorite pasta
Water (as needed)
Chili Flakes (optional)
Pecorino cheese
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Preheat oven to 450F. Pour 16oz of gravy, or tomato sauce into a wide sauce pot and bring to a gentle simmer.
With the meatballs being thawed, drizzle them with the olive oil and place into the oven. Cook for 40 minutes, they will have caramelized on the edges, and began to release some of their juices.
After they have cooked, place them into the tomato sauce along with their pan drippings, and gently stir. Cook for another 20 minutes on a low heat, with a lid on.
While your pasta is cooking, reserve about 1/2 C. of the starchy water.
After cooking the pasta to your liking, add to the sauce along with some of that pasta water and stir on a low-med heat, until some of the sauce has been absorbed.
We finish the dish with pecorino cheese or parmesan, chili flakes and fresh basil.
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TIP:
You don't have to roast the meatballs first. You can take them directly from the freezer, and add them to a pot of sauce. Cook the meatballs this way for at least an hour, preferably with a lid on, stirring often.
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SAUSAGE AND GRAVY
Serves 3-4
1lb Italian fennel sausage (hot or mild)
1qt Sunday gravy tomato sauce
4-5 basil leaves, torn
1/2 C stock or water
2T Olive oil
1oz of parmesan
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​In a sauce pot or rondo pot, heat the olive oil to just before smoking, and sear the sausage on all sides. (This can be done with the casing on or off, cut into links, or kept in a coil.) Once the sausage has good color, remove from pan and set aside. Allow the pan to cool slightly, then add the gravy and stock to the pot. Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer, and then add the sausage back to the pot. Cook for 45 minutes at a low gentle simmer, stirring every few minutes.
Once the sausage has been cooked, add the torn basil to the pot and parmesan (grated). Serve with your favorite pasta, or on a crusty roll.
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Variations:
During the summer months, we like to add 2C fresh chopped zucchini to the pot at the half way point of cooking, leaving some good texture and bite.
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Mushrooms can be added when the sausage is brought back to the pot. Chop about 2 1/2C of cremini or button mushrooms, and simply add them in raw. These will shrink in size over time, but leave the gravy with a more earthy flavor.
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