nonna's Italian gravy with meatballs

     I am in the mood for Italian. Well, I'm always in the mood for Italian food. My heritage is not Italian, but English, Scottish and German, but I grew up with an Italian uncle so holidays were filled with delicious food and my first real job was in a local, family owned Italian restaurant when I was 16. This cuisine is my lifelong love. My husband is half Italian and our tribe has been raised on generational recipes. 

     Today, I am going to get busy early and throw together our family’s standard fave, Italian gravy with meatballs. It really is anything but standard. Really. Last birthday, our five year old granddaughter Hazel requested “Nonni’s meatballs and sauce” for her birthday dinner.

     The sauce I've been making for decades is an adaptation of my husband's Italian grandmother's recipe. My mother-in-law taught me the recipe which was taught to her by her Italian mother-in-law, as it should be.   

     Passing favorite recipes from one generation to another is the part of the history of a family.

      Our original Nonna used pork chops or ribs, and lean beef stew meat in her sauce. Instead of rolling meatballs, chunks of pork and beef are seared to seal in the lovely juices, then simmered in the sauce until fall-apart tender.

     I often make the sauce Nonna’s way, but my family's all-time fave is with huge, squishy meatballs that have simmered in the smooth gravy all. afternoon. long. Mmmm!

     Before even meeting my future husband and receiving the gift of his Nonna’s fabulous gravy recipe, I had already perfected a meatball recipe of my own. Marrying her rich sauce with my meatballs seems as natural as can be. 

     As you prepare to cook, get all of the ingredients prepped and ready before beginning the process. Remove meat and eggs from the fridge. Measure out all other meatball items and set aside. Place a very large mixing bowl on the counter for mixing and shaping meatballs. Next, make the sauce so it can simmer alone a few minutes whilst making and cooking your meatballs. 

meatballs:

Ingredients

1 pound lean ground beef 

1 pound ground pork

1/2-3/4 c. Italian breadcrumbs or for GF, oats

1/2 c. milk or whey, (leftover from making yogurt)

2 eggs

1/2 c. grated Romano and parm cheeses, mixed

1 t. garlic powder

1 t. salt

1 t. black pepper

1/2 t. Italian seasoning

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a broiler pan, inside and out, front and back of top tray with cooking spray. (Spraying pan inside and top helps with cleanup.) 

In a very large mixing bowl, add eggs and whisk to blend. Pour milk over and stir. Add both types of meat. Toss in remaining ingredients and blend using your hands... they really are the best utensils. If the mixture is a bit too squishy, you can add a little more of the breadcrumbs or oats to tighten up the mixture.

Roll into meatballs... I like mine to be about the size of a chubby golf ball. (They will shrink a bit when baking.)

Place on prepared broiler pan, then bake in the oven until they are brown and a little crispy on the outside, approximately thirty minutes. (They may not be cooked completely on the inside but will finish in the sauce.) Gently add to large pot of sauce and simmer until tender.

 

Nonna's Italian gravy:

2 T. olive oil

3 tinned anchovy filets

1/4 t. dried red pepper flakes

1 large onion, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 small can, tomato paste

1/2 a bottle a good dry red wine, preferably Italian or French 

4- 28oz. cans crushed tomatoes (rinse out cans w/ a little water and toss it in)

1 T. Worcestershire sauce

pinch of sugar

2 t. salt

2 t. black pepper

1 bundle of fresh Italian herbs of choice. (I used thyme, oregano, rosemary)

2 bay leaves

Fresh basil leaves, chiffonade

meatballs

pasta or polenta to serve

Directions

In a large, deep sauce pot, heat olive oil on medium heat. Add anchovy filets to pan. Mash filets with a wooden spoon as they melt into oil. (Anchovies as a sauce ingredient does not taste fishy. They deepen the flavor of the sauce with a salty umami.)

Sprinkle in red pepper flakes and chopped onion. When onions begin to soften and brown, add garlic. Cook for a couple of minutes, then push the veggies over to one side of the pot. You may need another tablespoon of olive oil, then drop the tomato paste into the oil. Lower heat to medium low. Stir paste around to prevent from sticking. Cook until it deepens to a dark, rich burgundy color. Stir into the vegetables and deglaze pot with wine, scraping up any browned bit from the bottom with your wooden spoon. Allow some of the alcohol to cook out for two or three minutes. Toss in the canned tomatoes and remaining seasonings, including herb bundle and bay leaves.

Refrain from adding too much salt at this point. The sauce may seem like it needs it. Add reserved meatballs to pot and stir, reducing heat to a very low simmer. Remember that meatballs are nicely seasoned and naturally salty. The cheese is also salty. They will all adjust and contribute to the flavor of the sauce without adding any extra salt at this point. The last thing to add now is about a half bunch of basil leaves, which have been rolled and sliced chiffonade, then tossed into the sauce. Any remaining basil can be saved for serving.  

     I usually simmer for an hour or two until the meatballs are soft and tender. I then turn off the heat and allow them to just soak in the hot tomato sauce for an hour or so longer. After this point, taste the sauce alone for seasoning again. Add salt and black pepper, if needed. If it’s too acid, add a pinch of sugar. Before serving, remove bay leaves and whatever is left of the herb bundle. You can also toss in some fresh basil just before plating.

Serve on the day you make it or cool completely and decant into containers. It is easy to double this recipe and freeze in serving sized containers. Sauce is even tastier the second day when flavors have had the chance to get friendly. 

This dish is quite versatile. You can make meatball subs or sliders, serve with polenta or pasta of choice. 

Avoiding carby things? Make spiraled zucchini noodles or roast a spaghetti squash to serve with sauce and meatballs. I’ve even topped a baked sweet potato with sauce and meatballs for someone who is gluten free or avoiding carbs.