According to Papa Louie, just about anything can go in Sunday Sauce. Pork chunks, beef ribs, chicken legs, lamb shanks, stew meat, sausage, etc. Basically anything that breaks down and gets more delicious with time. We also roast ours in the oven, which adds more depth of flavor.
Here’s what we had this time:
1 lb rigatoni pasta
1 lb pork chunks (rib meat)
6 chicken sausages (sweet Italian)
1 large Vidalia (sweet) onion
6 garlic cloves
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
2 8 oz cans of tomato sauce
Red wine (Chianti)
2 bay leaves
Dried basil
Dried oregano
Dried thyme
Parmesan cheese
Olive oil
Salt
Pepper
Here’s what to do:
Preheat oven to 250F. Dice onions and mince garlic ahead of time so you are ready. Start heating up a large stoneware (nonstick) casserole on the stove top over medium heat. Season the meat with salt and pepper.
Cover the bottom of casserole with a nice layer of olive oil and add in the meat once oil is hot. Sear the pork in big pieces and leave the sausages whole at this point to maintain integrity. Turn pieces frequently so they brown but don’t burn. Don’t cook them all the way through either, just get a nice sear. A few burnt bits in the bottom of the pot are ok. When you are happy with the browning, take the meat out and set aside to rest. Do not dump out oil from pot, just be ready for next step …
After meat is safely set aside, maintain medium heat and add in the diced onions. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, and stir to mix with oil and remnants left over from browning the meat. After a couple minutes, the onions should be starting to get soft and caramelize. Add in minced garlic and bay leaves. After a couple more minutes, things should be getting pretty hot. Open wine and pour in about a ¼ cup – enough to deglaze the bottom of the pot and loosen up anything that is still sticking; pour yourself a glass and save the rest for dinner. If you don’t want to use wine in the sauce, use stock, water, or a combination.
After the alcohol burns off and all the bits are deglazed, add in crushed tomatoes and then the tomato sauce. Stir to incorporate. While the sauce is coming up to a simmer, cut up the pork into chunks and the sausages into thirds or quarters. Try to make the pork chunks about the same size as the pieces of sausage, and add them to the sauce. Stir some more and then sprinkle with basil, oregano and thyme. Use more basil, less oregano and just a little thyme. Stir some more and season with salt and pepper – Note: do not taste the sauce at this point because the meat is not cooked yet!
Once the sauce is up to a uniform simmer and looking good, sprinkle a nice layer parmesan cheese on top, cover and put in oven. Let it roast on 250F in the oven for at least an hour. Two hours is better. If you go longer than this, the sauce will just continue to break down and develop rich flavor, but you may want to drop the heat to 200F.
Cook your pasta while sauce is in the oven. Use something hearty like rigatoni. When sauce is done, remove from oven and stir it up. Be gentle so you don’t bust up the meat too much. Taste and add salt if needed. Serve over pasta and sprinkle with some grated parmesan and a few flakes of dried basil.
Tip: Try to use cast iron bakeware (see: www.lecreuset.com) or something that can go right from the stovetop into the oven. If you don’t have one, start with a regular sauce pot and transfer to a casserole for roasting or just let it simmer on low for at least an hour on the stove top with a vented lid.