The subject of Sunday Sauce always brings me back to my childhood. My passion for food began early, and most of my culinary Ur-memories lead me back to Sunday dinners at nonna Angelina’s place. About noontime, after Sunday Mass, the family would congregate around the enormous table (or so it seemed to my young eyes) that took up most of the main room of my grandparents’ New York apartment. The men and boys would sit around the table, talk, watch TV and play cards—my favorite card game was called scopa (literally, ‘broom’, but we called it ‘sweep’ in English)—while we nibbled on fried vegetables, sharp provolone and the ring-shaped, lard-laced ‘Ansonia’ bread, and sipped a little sweet vermouth. Meanwhile, Angelina and the other womenfolk would be putting the finishing touches on the food in the kitchen.
Then, just as I would be getting really antsy for the ‘real’ food, out came the pasta—sometimes a large bowl of pastasciutta but more often than not a sprawling baking dish filled with lasagna di carnevale, followed by a leisurely parade of courses: mixed meats from the ragù, then another meat course like chicken roasted with potatoes and onions, then a green salad—served as a separate course after the meats in the Italian-American fashion—then fruit—which usually included a fennel bulb, my personal favorite ‘fruit’—and, in the Fall and Winter, a bowl of nuts in their shells. We would drink very rough homemade wine—never knew who made the stuff—which Angelina and the other older ladies would ‘cut’ with 7-Up. Finally, out came pastries—cannoli, sfogliatelle, babà al rum and that Italian-American favorite, ‘rainbow cookies’ made with marzipan, raspberry jam and chocolate. Dinner would end around 6 pm with coffee, served both ‘black’ (espresso) and ‘American’, along with small cordial glasses of Anisette. More card playing and much gossiping ensued, followed by sandwiches at 8 o’clock for those who might still be a little hungry…
The constant fixture of all of these dinners was ragù della domenica or Sunday sauce—also known as ‘Sunday gravy’—the crowning glory of Italian American cooking. If it was not dressing the pasta, it was slathered in between the layers of the lasagne, with more served in a gravy boat for those who wanted to pour some more on top. Just about every Italo-American I know grew up with this sauce or something very much like it. It is a not-so-distant cousin of the ragù alla napoletana. Whereas the Neapolitan version is made with a single large piece of beef, its American cousin is made with various bits of pork and beef: sausages, beef or pork ribs and meatballs were always included, but you’d often find beef braciole, pig’s foot and rolled pig’s skin, and sometimes pork chops, in the pot as well, all slowly simmered for hours in tomato sauce until it was dark and unctuous and full of deep flavor.
Ragù requires slow, long cooking, but it is not hard to make. Here is Angelina’s recipe:
Angelina’s Sunday Sauce
Ingredients
Makes one large pot of sauce, enough to a crowd
For the initial browning of meats:
- 6 mild Italian sausages
- 6 pork or beef ribs
- 3-4 pork chops (optional)
- 3-4 braciole (optional)
- Lard (or olive oil)
For making the soffrito and flavoring the browned meats:
- 2 medium onions, peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Red wine (optional)
For the sauce:
- 4-5 large cans (800g/28 oz) of best quality tomatoes, whole or crushed, or passata di pomodoro
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper, to taste
For the additional meats:
- Meatballs made using the ingredients for Angelina’s Polpettone (Italian-Style Meatloaf) and browned in olive oil
- Pig’s skin, rolled and tied into bundles (optional)
- A pig’s foot, split in half (optional)
Directions
In as big a pot or casserole as you have available, begin by lightly browning your sausages and ribs—and, if using, braciole and pork chops—in lard over medium heat. Yes, you read that right: lard. You can use olive oil if you like, but for the real taste of ragù, lard is a must. (And there is no better fat for browning, by the way.) Brown as many pieces at a time as will fit in your pot in a single, well-spaced layer. (If you crowd the pieces of meat, they will steam and not brown.) Do not rush the process; take your time and brown them gently, so they render their fat and don’t darken too much. Remove the pieces to a bowl or dish as they brown, replacing them with other pieces.
When all the pieces of meat are brown, remove any remaining in the pot and add a generous amount of chopped onion and allow it to sweat until it is quite soft. Then add a clove or two of chopped garlic and, when you can just begin to smell their aroma, add back the browned meat. Turn the meat with the onion and garlic and simmer them together gently to allow the meat to insaporire (absorb the flavor of the aromatics), seasoning with salt and pepper as you turn. (If you have some spare red wine on hand, add a splash at this point and allow it to evaporate completely. If you don’t have red wine, not to worry; Angelina actually didn’t add wine to her ragù, but many recipes call for it, and it does add a nice additional layer of flavor.)
Then add the best quality canned tomatoes that you can find (see Notes below), passing them through a food mill into the pot, enough to cover the meats entirely. (Some recipes call for tomato paste, but I find this makes the sauce too heavy.) Nestle a sprig or two of fresh parsley among the meats. Lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce to simmer very slowly for at least 2-3 hours, until the sauce is thick and dark and very flavorful. Along the way, add your meatballs, which you will have fried separately in oil, and, if using, your pig’s foot or rolled pig’s skin.
Notes
Sunday Sauce is best made a day ahead, but you can use it immediately if you like. Extremely versatile, you can use it to dress any kind of pastasciutta—at Angelina’s place, it was usually spaghetti, linguine or rigatoni—or ravioli or for making lasagna. With pasta, serve pecorino cheese (not parmesan, whose delicate flavor would be overwhelmed by this robust sauce) for those who want it. This Columbus Day, we celebrated with linguine dressed with Sunday Sauce, then the meats served as a secondo and a green salad, followed by fruits—an abbreviated modern version of the Sunday dinners of my childhood.
Ragù, along with the meat that simmered in it, is also very good served with polenta, which may sound strange, since polenta is a northern dish, while this ragù is very much in the southern Italian tradition. But, in fact, polenta is not entirely unknown in the center and south of Italy. A dish called polenta con spuntature e salsicce, polenta served with spare ribs and sausages simmered in tomatoes, which tastes very much like this ragù without the meatballs, is a popular Roman specialty. And even Angelina, a daughter of the mountains near Benevento, made polenta to please my grandfather Lorenzo, who had fought against the Austrians in the First World War (later receiving a medal for valor in the Battle of the Vittorio Veneto) and acquired a taste for the stuff while up North…but that is a story for another day.
Like many traditional home cooks, Angelina never measured. Strict measurements are really not important—and the cook can fell free to adjust amounts as he or she likes. After all, that’s one of the ways we home cooks can give on our dishes a personal ‘touch’.
To make the meatballs, you use the same mixture of meats, bread, cheese, egg and aromatics that you will find described in the recipe for Angelina’s polpettone (meatloaf). But instead of forming a ‘loaf’ and stuffing it, use the mixture to make round balls and fry them gently in oil. They are wonderful eaten as is, but perhaps even better after simmering for an hour or so in the ragù.
Besides the use of lard, the secrets of a really good ragù are taking your time for gentle, unrushed browning and simmering—this is old-fashioned comfort food that can’t be rushed—and using the best canned tomatoes you can find. In the US, and perhaps elsewhere, the latter subject poses a special challenge, important enough to deserve its own post.
There is a raging debate among Italian-Americans about the proper way to translate ragù into English. As mentioned, some people call it a ‘sauce’, others ‘gravy’. Each side holds fervently to its position. The problem is that the two languages do not use coinciding terms. In Italian, what you might generically call a ‘sauce’ in English can be translated as salsa, sugo, condimento or ragù—the last of which is a special word traditionally only used for this kind of slowly simmering meat-and-tomato sauce (although modern chefs have also come up with fish-based ragù). English, on the other hand, has the terms ‘sauce’ and ‘gravy’. ‘Sauce’ is a generic term that can be used to describe ragù, while gravy is a special word used to describe the kind of sauce that is made from the drippings of a roast. So, strictly speaking, ragù is not a gravy, but since both gravies and ragù are special kinds of sauces noted for their meatiness, you can see the logic of using one for the other. Personally, I’m agnostic on the subject, but since it does seem to be the majority usage I’ll call it Sunday Sauce.
Il ragù della domenica (Sunday Sauce)
Ingredients
For the initial browning of meats:
- 6 mild Italian sausages
- 6 pork or beef ribs
- 3-4 pork chops optional
- 3-4 braciole optional
- Lard or olive oil
For making the soffrito and flavoring the browned meats:
- 2 medium onions peeled and finely chopped
- 1-2 cloves of garlic peeled and chopped
- Salt and pepper
- Red wine optional
For the sauce:
- 4-5 large cans 800g/28 oz of best quality tomatoes, whole or crushed, or passata di pomodoro
- A few sprigs of fresh parsley
- Salt and pepper to taste
For the additional meats:
- Meatballs made using the ingredients for Angelina's Polpettone Italian-Style Meatloaf and browned in olive oil
- Pig's skin rolled and tied into bundles (optional)
- A pig's foot split in half (optional)
Instructions
- In as big a pot or casserole as you have available, begin by lightly browning your sausages and ribs—and, if using, braciole and pork chops—in lard over medium heat. Yes, you read that right: lard. You can use olive oil if you like, but for the real taste of ragù, lard is a must. (And there is no better fat for browning, by the way.) Brown as many pieces at a time as will fit in your pot in a single, well-spaced layer. (If you crowd the pieces of meat, they will steam and not brown.) Do not rush the process; take your time and brown them gently, so they render their fat and don't darken too much. Remove the pieces to a bowl or dish as they brown, replacing them with other pieces.
- When all the pieces of meat are brown, remove any remaining in the pot and add a generous amount of chopped onion and allow it to sweat until it is quite soft. Then add a clove or two of chopped garlic and, when you can just begin to smell their aroma, add back the browned meat. Turn the meat with the onion and garlic and simmer them together gently to allow the meat to insaporire (absorb the flavor of the aromatics), seasoning with salt and pepper as you turn. (If you have some spare red wine on hand, add a splash at this point and allow it to evaporate completely. If you don't have red wine, not to worry; Angelina actually didn't add wine to her ragù, but many recipes call for it, and it does add a nice additional layer of flavor.)
- Then add the best quality canned tomatoes that you can find (see Notes below), passing them through a food mill into the pot, enough to cover the meats entirely. (Some recipes call for tomato paste, but I find this makes the sauce too heavy.) Nestle a sprig or two of fresh parsley among the meats. Lower the heat, partially cover the pot, and let the sauce to simmer very slowly for at least 2-3 hours, until the sauce is thick and dark and very flavorful. Along the way, add your meatballs, which you will have fried separately in oil, and, if using, your pig's foot or rolled pig's skin.
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40 Comments on “Il ragù della domenica (Sunday Sauce)”
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Hi Frank,
I’ve made four recipes from your website (Brachiole, Polpetone, and Zitoni al Forno – all SO good). But this ragu is my favorite. Absolutely delicious! I do have one question: what do you with the meat from the ribs after the sauce is finished? I cut it off the bone and added it back to the sauce. Is this what you do? Anyway, thanks for the wonderful blog. I’m sure I’ll be making many of these recipes for years to come!
So glad to hear you’re enjoying the site, Stephanie! As to your question, mostly I serve the ribs separately along with the other meats (sausages, braciole, meatballs, etc.) On occasion, when I’m left with just a little bit of meat left, be it ribs or sausage or whatever, I might well cut them up into bits and add them to whatever sauce I have left over to dress pasta. But if you like to add the rib meat into the sauce from the get go, why not? It’s all good.
This Irishman is feeling very sentimental while reading your posting and sipping my glass of Paisano. Love your heartfelt tribute to your Nonna Angelina. I feel honored that you are sharing her “secret sauce” with us and will dive into it with care. My best friend since kindergarten is Italian-American and your story brings back memories of dining at his home, with his family – and the warmth I still harbor in my heart for the loveliness of Italian-American people and a great appreciation for their spiritual contributions to our American way of life. By the way… we’ve made sopressata for decades, together, and now teaching the process and the spirit to younger generations … just to keep the tradition, the fellowship and the memories alive. Good job, my friend.
Many thanks, Mike, for your kind words! And complimenti on your soprressata making—it’s something I’ve never attempted.
New York grandparents.
Uncles playing cards.
Sunday Gravy.
Wine with 7up.
Finocchio.
Cannoli.
You don’t have any Aceto or Ciffa relatives do you? 😉 thanks so much for the sweet memories!
Not that I know of, Teresa! But I’m beginning to wonder… 😉
Your Sunday Sauce lost brought me back to my childhood as well. My Mom would begin frying her meat on Saturday morning. Depending on her shopping, the meats included all you mentioned: meatballs, sweet and hot sausage, beef with bones, bracciole, pork roll, and sometimes ribs. Her sauce was made with tomato paste. My job used to be opening the cans and measuring out 1 can of tomato paste to 2 cans of water. My mom used the small jars of tomato paste. We ate down our basement with an average of 18 to 20 relatives each week! My Mom came from a family of 13 and we generally had 2 full tables of relatives. My Mom generally made rigatoni or ziti and sometimes wagon wheels for my brother! Since when we were growing up, our fast before Mass began at midnight, my Mom used to make miniature sized meatballs for our snack when we came home from Mass before our main meal. We usually ate at 1pm- pasta, meat and simple lettuce salad with onions, tomatoes and vinegarette dressing, and crusty Italian bread. After the meal, my brother, Uncles and male cousins would go upstairs to watch sports on TV. My aunts, female cousins and I would clean up. After cleaning, generally there was a card game for a while, or arts and craft project. Then we would all have coffee and desserts. Such sweet memories you bring to all of us. Can’t thank you enough for all you share in this blog. Really makes me nostalgic and filled with love for my family traditions. My brother keeps the Sunday pasta tradition for his family. And most of all, I am so thankful to see so many of my Mom’s recipes which I never got the chance to write down!
Wow, sounds so much like our Sunday dinners! Nice to hear your keeping up the tradition in your family. And glad to be a resource for you—that’s what we here for!
I make this wonderful recipe, not every Sunday though, about once a month. We lived in Varese for many years, our youngest son was born there and this recipe is so evocative of the time we spent there. There is a huge pan simmering away in the kitchen perfuming the whole house. Even though my family is grown up they still sneak into the kitchen to break off a hunk of bread and dip it into the sugo. I used to make our Sunday Ragu using a single piece of meat until I discovered your recipe, its much more versatile. Normally, we get at least three meals from this; finishing with a Sartu di Risk. If there is any rice left it becomes arancini. Thank you for sharing your memories and marvellous recipes.
And thank *you* for your kind words, Joyce! It’s always such a wonderful feeling when I hear about folks making and enjoying these old-time recipes. I love how you make the most of it, too! In the true Italian spirit…
PS: fennochio and cards between courses! We might be related!! Lol. This time of year I dream of struffoli.
By the sound of it, we really might… 😉
Jen! I stumbled upon this recipe google searching “spadenas” as well. My family still makes them. I was searching it for ideas for sides for my Dads birthday. I’m shocked there are No results other than your comment! I can tell you are also from Ny/Nj based on your phonetic spelling of calamari (it’s refreshing). Any who we use eye round beef sliced braciole style (1/4″) then we tenderize it to thin it out. We mix fresh bread crumbs with olive oil parsley and Romano. Then spread crisco on the slice then the crumbs then roll it line in the pan with a slice of onion and a bay leaf between each and broil. Make sure to cover with wet paper towel when done or they will dry out. Enjoy hot or cold!
Could it be that ragu is etymologically linked to the French “ragout” (pronounced more or less the same way) which is a blanket denomination for a long-simmering meat-based stew? Does a ragu systematically contain meat (or some kind of animal), and cook for a long time? In that case we have a match…however the sugo di carne does not fit my definition. Hmmm…
Not that the above changes anything to the fantastic recipe on this page – just random musings on my part sparked by your mention of the translation debate.
The word ragù is most definitely an Italianized version of ragout. And yes, a ragù by definition contains meat. So you’re definitely on to something there!
so, almost identical except for a few details (no vermouth as our apperitif!) — I thought scopa was purely sicilian, so i'm intrigued to find out that it's not….(or correct me please).
Great moments in growing up – thanks for sharing the photos and the food!
OMG – sounds like our fammily growing up – almost identical! (minus the vermouth…) Great photos and great food/family memories.
Happy Sunday dinner to all! I raise my glass of rough red wine to the meat from the sauce! 🙂
Dear Frank,
I wanted to Thank-You. Reading your blog brings me back to countless hours spent at my grandma and poppa's house for every sunday dinner and holidays. Even down to the card playing, between courses the fennel and so many other things.
I was wondering if you had a recipe for something called spadina's. That was what my grandma called them but no one else seems to have ever heard of this. It may be the wrong name for the dish. But from what I remember spadina's where very thin slices of some type of meat beat and then it was rolled around somethign inside. It sounds like negimaki but tastes nothing like that.
I do not know why you take the time to share all these wonderful recipes with strangers but I Thank You for the wonderful food and the memories that the food brings. Another favorite dish tht I have never been able to find the right recipe for is stuffed calamari=galamad (phonetic spelling)Thank You so much for the link to a past I miss and a future of wonderful food
Jen
Great blog! I love the recipes.
Nisrine
This is just beautiful. Awesome Post!
Hey Frank! Thank you for the sharing! I'm an italian who lives in London, and I still make ragù on sunday sometimes
but I prefer it with minced pork meat, similar to a bolognese.Anyway I love scopa! that's my favourite card game 🙂
You're in my feeds, bye!
Sweet. Happy sharing. Thank you very much. Cheers !
Cia oFrank
I used to play scopa with my italian friends !!!
Come and see my blog my last recipe is in english ! see you then !!
Cheers Pierre
This reminds me of my childhood. Thank you so much for the trip down memory lane 🙂
your recipes all look so delicious! all these wonderful italian dishes remind me of my childhood.
Thanks, folks, for all the kind comments! I was a pleasure to share these memories with you.
And if you do the recipe, do let me know how it turned out!
Frank
I love the story even more than the recipe, I think. What a wonderful family you must have! Still, I feel compelled to try it. I hope I can do your grandmother's recipe justice.
Great post for Columbus day! Love the old photo – really brings together the essence of Italian Family Cooking!
What a great post. A good friend's family is from the south of Italy and they have this same tradition. Grandma always makes the sauce and people stop in all day to eat. Beautiful tradition.
Fascinating story about the linguistic debate. Thanks for sharing!
This post is like a visit to Grandma's house. I felt cozy and content after reading it, if only it didn't make me so HUNGRY! 🙂
I'm so touched by this entry because you shared a family recipe with us 🙂 Grandmas recipes are truly the best ones yet 🙂
Love the black and white photos!!
Awww!! Nobody can bit the italian nona's recipes. They were the best part of my childhood. Your Nona Angelina certainly new her sauces. It looks delicious.
Beautiful post, beautiful memories of family around the table. And, the sauce/ragu looks absolutely divine.
It was “gravy” at my grandma's house, who always had a pot going when we came to visit. Fitting tribute to Columbus, and his native homeland. Love visiting your blog for a good story and family pics.
What a lovely post! Thank you so much for sharing your family's recipe. I am really looking forward to trying it – lard and all.
What a wonderful story. You are lucky to have such happy memories. The sauce looks wonderful too.