Italian Sugo Meat Sauce Food

SUGO, AN ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• Swirl a bit of oil into a deep skillet-just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Heat over medium-high flame until shimmering. Add the beef, breaking it up into small bits with your fingertips. Season the meat with salt and pepper. You might need to do this in batches as to not overcrowd the pan (remember to re-season each new batch of meat). Cook, stirring every couple of minutes, until browned all over. Using a slotted spoon, transfer to a bowl.
• Lower the flame to medium-low. Add the onion to the pan. Sauté until slightly softened and golden.
• Pour in the wine, and use a spoon to scrape up any browned bit from the bottom of the pan. Increase the heat to medium-high. Cook until the wine reduces by half.
• Stir in the tomatoes, sugar, and butter. Add the beef back to the pan. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, the reduce heat to the lowest setting possible. Let the sauce simmer for 3 to 4 hours, until meltingly tender. If not ready to serve when done, you can transfer the sauce to a slow cooker, and keep it on the warm setting until ready to serve.

SUGO DI POMODORO (AUTHENTIC ITALIAN TOMATO SAUCE)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a saucepan over low heat. Add onion and garlic. Cook and stir until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add passata, basil, and salt. Cover and simmer over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until tomato sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Remove garlic halves before serving.

MEAT SAUCE (SUGO DI CARNE)

Steps:

• Put mushrooms in bowl and add slightly hot water to cover. Let stand 30 minutes.
• Heat oil and butter in skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic and carrot. Cook, stirring, until wilted.
• Add pork and veal. Cook, stirring and chopping down with the side of a heavy metal spoon to break up lumps, until meats lose raw look.
• Drain mushrooms and chop coarsely. Add mushrooms to meat mixture. Add wine, tomatoes, tomato paste, salt and pepper. Bring to boil and cook uncovered 1 hour.
• Pour sauce into saucepan. Bring to boil and skim fat from surface. Add broth and continue cooking 1 hour.

SARDINIAN SUGO

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil over medium heat. For dry pasta, cook to al dente, for fresh, wait until sugo is ready before you cook the pasta as it only takes 2 to 3 minutes. Salt the boiling water liberally before cooking either form of pasta.
• Heat the stock and saffron over medium heat in a sauce pot and reduce by about half, about 15 minutes.
• While the stock infuses and water comes to boil, heat a large deep skillet with extra-virgin olive oil, a couple turns of the pan, over medium heat. Add the fennel seeds and toast for 1 minute. Add the meat, raise the heat to medium-high and season the meat with salt and pepper, to taste. Stir in the sage, red pepper flakes and paprika. When the meat is brown, add the garlic and the onions and cook together a few minutes more to soften the onions. Add tomatoes and crush, then bring the sauce to a bubble, reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Stir in a few leaves of torn basil.
• When the pasta of choice is ready, add the infused stock to the sauce. Toss in the drained pasta and serve in shallow bowls with crusty bread and lots of pecorino cheese.

OLD ITALIAN MEAT SAUCE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, brown beef and pork over medium heat until no longer pink; set aside.
• In a large skillet, warm olive oil over medium heat and saute onions and garlic until tender; add about 1/2 cup of wine; mix well.
• Add mushrooms, rosemary, oregano and thyme to skillet and add another 1/2 cup wine; saute until tender.
• Add browned meat, tomato sauce and tomato paste to mixture; simmer for 1 hour and add the remaining 2 cups of wine.
• Simmer sauce on low for 2 to 3 hours, stirring occasionally; serve.