Nirvana Italian Gravy Food

ITALIAN TOMATO GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over low heat. Saute the garlic, red pepper flakes, and herbs for 2 minutes until the herbs are fragrant and garlic is golden (but not overly brown.) Raise the heat to medium, add onion and carrot; cook for 5 minutes until they breakdown and are soft. Deglaze with red wine and reduce to evaporate the alcohol. Hand crush the canned tomatoes and add to the pot, along with its liquid. Add a pinch of sugar to cut down on the acidity from the tomatoes; season with salt and pepper. Let simmer for 30 minutes, uncovered.

ITALIAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Cover the bottom of a 10 quart pot with olive oil and set over medium heat. Add short ribs, oxtails, country style spare ribs and beef neck bone and brown them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder. Cook until both sides of meat are browned. Remove meat to a bowl and set aside. In the same pan add the sausage and ground beef. When ground meats are cooked through, drain grease and oil from pan. If there are any large pieces of the ground meats, break them up or pulse in a food processor. Add to bowl with other meats, set aside. Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into pot and saute onions, Italian parsley, garlic, shallots, jalapeno peppers, and pesto. Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion. When onions are limp, add all of the reserved meats. Over medium heat, add 2 cups red wine. While this mixture is cooking, in a separate saute pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil and over medium heat saute mushrooms. Raise heat to medium high and add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sugar. When mushrooms are browned add them to meats along with the tomato puree, tomato sauce and stock. In a food processor pulse stewed tomatoes with tomato paste until smooth and add them to the pot. Add allspice, Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon granulated onion. The gravy must cover the meat and come close to the top of the pot. Reduce heat to the lowest simmer and cook uncovered for approximately 4 to 5 hours. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan. When meat on oxtail is tender, take all of the whole meats out of the pot, leaving the ground meats in. To complete gravy, add 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, fresh basil and cream sherry. Serve the meat with gravy and pasta. Remove the rest of the gravy from the heat and let cool for 2 hours at room temperature then divide into pint containers and freeze.

ITALIAN GRAVY AND MEATBALLS

Steps:

• In a large pot combine tomato sauce, tomato puree, tomato paste, water, sugar, oregano, 2 tspn salt, 1 tspn pepper, garlic cloves and bring to a simmer on low heat.
• Combine ground beef, bread, eggs, Romano cheese, 1 1/2 tspn salt, garlic powder and 1/4 tspn pepper.
• Mix ingredients and form into meatballs 2-3" in diameter.
• In a large skillet use enough of the veg oil to have approx 1/8" covering bottom
• Heat on medium.
• When oil is hot enough, brown meatballs on all sides and add to pot with sauce.
• Brown pork neck or ribs in same pan and add to sauce.
• Add at least 1/2 of remaining oil in skillet to pot.
• Don't forget to add all of those small cooked bits from skillet bottom.
• (Great Flavor!!!) Any excess oil or fat can be spooned off of sauce after cooking.
• Cook uncovered (simmer) for 1 1/2 hrs.

ITALIAN SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oil in very large Dutch oven.
• Add garlic and onions and saute until soft.
• Add tomato paste and stir to combine.
• Add crushed tomatoes and spices.
• Stir bring to boil, lower heat to low--cover and simmer.
• Meanwhile combine all meatball ingredients (except for flour and oil).
• Form into balls about 2-1/2 inches in diameter.
• Dredge meatballs in flour.
• Fry meatballs in oil in skillet a few at a time until browned on all sides (not necessary to cook through they will cook in the sauce) Add fried meatballs from skillet directly to simmering sauce.
• Stir and bring sauce back to a simmer.
• Cover.
• Place sausage in pot and cover with water.
• Bring to a boil and boil about 5 minutes to remove some of the fat.
• Brown boiled sausage in skillet.
• Place browned sausage in simmering sauce.
• Bring sauce back to simmer---cover and continue simmering for 2 hours over low heat---stir occassioanlly.
• Remove meatballs and sausage from pot and place on serving dish.
• Toss sauce with cooked pasta--You will have enough sauce to coat two pounds of cooked pasta.
• This freezes very well!

MEATBALL NIRVANA

Steps:

• Preheat an oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the beef into a mixing bowl, and season with salt, onion, garlic salt, Italian seasoning, oregano, red pepper flakes, hot pepper sauce, and Worcestershire sauce; mix well. Add the milk, Parmesan cheese, and bread crumbs. Mix until evenly blended, then form into 1 1/2-inch meatballs, and place onto a baking sheet.
• Bake in the preheated oven until no longer pink in the center, 20 to 25 minutes.

SAUSAGE ITALIAN GRAVY

Steps:

• In a large saucepot over medium heat saute the onion in the olive oil.
• Add garlic and continue to saute.
• Add sausage meat and brown slightly on all sides.
• Drain off any fat.
• Add thyme, tomatoes, salt and pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the basil.
• When sauce is bubbly, reduce heat and cover.
• Cook for at least one hour.
• Add the remaining fresh basil leaves the last fifteen minutes.
• Serve on cooked soft or firm polenta with extra romano cheese sprinkled over the top.

NIRVANA ITALIAN GRAVY

Steps:

• Cover the bottom of a stock pot (at least 12 quart) with olive oil and set over medium heat.
• Add short ribs, oxtails, country style spare ribs and beef neck bone and brown them with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper, 1 teaspoon granulated onion, and 1 teaspoon garlic powder.
• Cook until both sides of meat are browned.
• Remove meat to a bowl and set aside.
• In the same pan add the sausage and ground beef.
• When ground meats are cooked through, drain grease and oil from pan.
• If there are any large pieces of the ground meats, break them up or pulse in a food processor.
• Add to bowl with other meats, set aside.
• Pour 1/4 cup olive oil into pot and saute onions, Italian parsley, garlic, shallots, jalapeno peppers, and pesto.
• Add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/8 teaspoon pepper, 1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic and 1/2 teaspoon granulated onion.
• When onions are limp, add all of the reserved meats.
• Over medium heat, add 2 cups red wine.
• While this mixture is cooking, in a separate saute pan, add 1/4 cup olive oil and over medium heat saute mushrooms.
• Raise heat to medium high and add 1/4 teaspoon salt, 1/2 granulated garlic, 1/2 teaspoon sugar.
• When mushrooms are browned add them to meats along with the tomato puree, tomato sauce and stock.
• In a food processor pulse stewed tomatoes with tomato paste until smooth and add them to the pot.
• Add allspice, Italian seasoning, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 teaspoon granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon granulated onion.
• The gravy must cover the meat and come close to the top of the pot.
• Reduce heat to the lowest simmer and cook uncovered for approximately 4 to 5 hours.
• Stir occasionally to keep from sticking to the bottom of the pan.
• When meat on oxtail is tender, take all of the whole meats out of the pot, leaving the ground meats inches.
• To complete gravy, add 1 tablespoon granulated garlic, fresh basil and cream sherry.
• Serve the meat with gravy and pasta.
• Remove the rest of the gravy from the heat and let cool for 2 hours at room temperature then divide into pint containers and freeze.