A Step-by-Step Recipe for Anthony Bourdain's Sunday Gravy

A staple growing up in Italian households, this old school Italian Sunday Gravy recipe is simply the best meat sauce you will even eat – whether you serve it on pasta or just sop it up with some Italian bread!

COOK TIME:  3 hours

SERVINGS:   16

Ingredients

• Oxtail • Salt and pepper • Olive oil • Pork sausage links • White onions

Step 1

Preheat oven to 350F.

Step 2

Place a Dutch oven over medium-high heat and add olive oil.

Step 3

Season the oxtail with salt and pepper and add to the hot oil (along with the neck bones, if using).

Step 4

Brown the oxtail all over, then remove to a plate. Add the sausages to the Dutch Oven and brown completely.

Step 5

Reduce heat to medium, and add the chopped onions to the Dutch oven along with a pinch of salt.

Step 6

Once the onions are translucent, add the garlic and cook for 1 minute before adding the tomato paste, oregano and pepper flakes.

Step 7

Add the wine to deglaze the pan, stirring well to pick up any stuck-on bits, and then reduce by half, about 10 minutes.

Step 8

After the wine has reduced, add the chicken stock, tomatoes and bay leaves.

Step 9

Technically, you should wrap the herb springs in cheesecloth for a bouquet garni.

Step 10

Return the oxtail to the Dutch oven, season to taste with salt and pepper, and then bring the whole thing to a boil.

Step 11

Cover with lid and place the Dutch oven in the oven for 2.5 hours, then add the sausages and return to the oven for another 30 minutes.

Step 12

Prepare the pasta according to package directions, and then serve with a generous topping of the Sunday Gravy and a hefty grating of Parmesan.

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