Nana Jo always used Pastene tomatoes, but I really love the San Marzano tomatoes. I started blending the two, I love the fresh tomato flavor of the San Marzanos and the Pastene tomatoes add a heavier body to the gravy. I usually buy my San Marzano tomatoes at the local market, seek them out, they are delicious and in my opinion, do make a difference.
Because this is my first recipe that I am sharing I think it’s important to point out that growing up, we didn’t measure anything. We learned by our senses, tasting, feeling, looking, smelling, and watching. I write all my own recipes so I will do my best with measurements. For me, there’s what I describe as an “Aha” moment in cooking, it’s the moment you taste something, and you say Ahh that’s it! Or It needs a sprinkle more salt or pepper. You are the chef in your own kitchen, use and trust all your senses, taste often and enjoy the process and don’t be afraid to improvise and make mistakes, some of my improvisations and mistakes actually worked out better than my original recipes.
Ingredients
1- 28 ounce Can San Marzano crushed tomatoes
1- 28 ounce Can Pastene kitchen ready chunky style tomatoes (do not even think of getting the tomatoes with no salt, they do not taste good and your gravy will not taste good no matter how much salt you add)
2-3 Cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled and minced
½ White onion, peeled and cut into small dice
A few fresh Basil leaves
Large pinch of crushed red pepper
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
White wine, I use either a Pinot Grigio or an unoaked Chardonnay
Water
Salt Blend
*Note: My salt blend is half Kosher salt and half Sea salt. I love the briny bright flavor of the Sea salt and the rounded flavor of Kosher salt.
*I use a large Dutch oven for my gravy, but any large pot will work.
Place the pot over low heat on the stove. Pour in the olive oil, until it covers the bottom of the pot and it’s about a ⅓ of an inch high in the pot. Now add your crushed red pepper. While that’s heating up, cut your onion and add it to the pot, give it a stir, while that’s cooking, cut your garlic, when the onion is starting to become translucent, add the minced garlic, and give it all a stir. When the garlic starts to turn a bit golden and it all becomes fragrant, add your tomatoes and stir.
Add the wine, fill one of the empty tomato cans half way with wine and halfway with water and add it to the gravy. Stir the gravy, it should feel thin, add a bit more wine if it still feels thick. Now add your salt, I use two large pinches of salt for the gravy and always an extra tiny pinch to throw over my left shoulder for good measure just in case I’ve spilled some salt. Add your fresh basil, give it all a stir.
Now is the time to add your meat, I fry some sausages in my cast iron pan just until browned on both sides and add them to the gravy, I also add my meatballs at this point, frying them in the same pan I fried my sausages in, also just fried on both sides, you don’t want to cook the meat all the way through, you want it to finish cooking slowly in the gravy so it comes out moist and tender. I cook the gravy uncovered, for at least a couple of hours, until it’s reduced and has thickened and the meat is cooked through.
Remember to stir and taste the gravy during cooking, the flavors start to meld and change as it cooks, you can adjust your seasonings, salt and crushed red pepper. The longer it cooks, the more rich and deep it will become with the flavors of the meat and a hint of spice and fresh tomatoes. Also you can add whatever meat you choose, my favorite are the sausages and meatballs, you can also add a piece of pork, (not pork tenderloin, it doesn’t have fat on it, I like a piece of the shoulder or a chop, which is also nice, the bone also adds flavor) or Tony’s favorite are Veal Braciole.
Enjoy,
Cucina Strega
CUCINA STREGA 