Slow Cooker Sunday Gravy Food

SLOW COOKER SUNDAY DINNER POT ROAST AND GRAVY RECIPE

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over medium high heat. Pat beef with paper towels and season all sides generously with salt and pepper.
• Sear beef in the saute pan until a nice crust forms (about 3 minutes on each side). Place beef in crock pot. Don't drain the drippings.
• Add carrots, onions, potatoes and garlic to the pan and saute for about 3 minutes.
• Pour in the diced tomatoes (with juices) and stir to combine.
• Arrange vegetables over the beef in the crock pot and pour in the beef broth with the bouillon cube dissolved.
• Cook on low for 7-8 hours.
• Pour all the liquid out of the crock pot into a small or medium sauce pan. Let simmer over medium low heat for about 5 minutes.
• Mix butter and flour together in a small bowl and mash together with a fork until well combined (kind of like a buttery paste).
• Slowly whisk the butter mixture into the liquid from the crock pot until it starts to thicken and combine.
• If you like thick gravy, add the cornstarch as an added thickening agent. Just combine the cornstarch with cold water until dissolved and stir into the gravy, whisking until smooth.
• Season with freshly ground black pepper (I don't normally need anymore salt).

SLOW-COOKER SUNDAY SAUCE

Steps:

• In a 6- to 8-quart slow cooker, add the crushed tomatoes and basil sprigs. Season the pork shoulder all over with salt and pepper.
• In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium-high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork until browned on two sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Transfer pieces to the slow cooker as they finish. Add the sausages to the pot and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to the slow cooker.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, if needed, and the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, stirring to scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pot, and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Scrape the onion-wine mixture into the slow cooker, and stir to combine. Add the meatballs on top. (It's OK if they're sticking out of the sauce.) Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours, until the pork shoulder falls apart when shredded with a fork.
• When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. While the pasta boils, slice the sausage and shred the pork shoulder on a cutting board, and leave it there. When the pasta is al dente, reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and return the pasta to the pot. Over medium heat, toss the pasta with enough sauce to coat (about 4 cups), adding pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to the pasta. (Some meatballs might end up in the pasta pot; that's OK.) Return the sausage and pork shoulder to the remaining sauce in the slow cooker.
• Divide pasta between bowls, then top with a bit of each meat. Pass the Parmesan and extra meat and sauce at the table.

SUNDAY GRAVY

Steps:

• Brown sausages in a large pot. When browned on all sides, remove to a paper-towel lined plate.
• Add onions to pot and saute 6-8 minutes until onions are quite soft and caramelized, and the liquid from the onions has deglazed the pot bottom. Add oregano and garlic and cook until fragrant, 30-60 seconds. Add tomato paste and cook 1-2 minutes until it loses the raw flavor. Add red wine and stir well, scraping up any fond on the bottom of the pot. Transfer contents of pot into slow cooker.
• Add tomato sauce and drained tomatoes to slow cooker. Add drained sausages, flank steak and country-style ribs, covering completely with sauce. Cook 8-10 hours on low or 4-5 hours on high.
• Remove spareribs and flank steak. Slice flank steak into 2" pieces across the grain, then shred both steak and pork with two forks. Discard bones and gristle. Slice sausages in half lengthwise. Return all the meats to the sauce and stir well. Add basil and stir. Serve over pasta.

SUNDAY SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the pork shoulder all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork until browned on two sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Transfer pieces to a bowl as they finish. Add the sausages to the pot and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to the bowl.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, if needed, and the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, stir, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and basil, then fill one of the 28-ounce cans with water. (You'll use it in a second.) Return the pork shoulder and sausages to the pot, along with any accumulated juices in the bowl. Nudge them around so they are submerged. Add the meatballs on top, then add enough water from the can to cover the meat. (There's no need to stir.) Partly cover the pot, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork shoulder falls apart when shredded with a fork, 2 to 2½ hours.
• When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. While the pasta cooks, slice the sausage and shred the pork shoulder. Transfer to a platter along with the meatballs and a few spoonfuls of sauce. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and add the pasta to the pot of sauce. Over medium heat, toss the pasta with the sauce, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to the pasta.
• Divide pasta between bowls, then top with a bit of each meat. Pass the Parmesan and platter of meat at the table.