The Sopranos Sunday Gravy

Tony Soprano:

"I don't mean "white" like Caucasian. I mean a white man like our friend Cusamano. Now he's Italian, but he's 'Merigan. It's what my old man would have called a Wonder Bread wop. He eats his Sunday gravy out of a jar."

Hungering for America: Italian, Irish, and Jewish Foodways in the Age of Migration by Hasia R. Diner; Harvard University Press, 2003.

"Italian-Americans; most specifically those in the greater Chicago, Boston, Providence, and New York areas favored the term gravy (rather than sauce) for their tomato based meat sauces."

Yes, indeed, (if you're a 'Sopranos' fan, you'd know this) the Italian meat-and-tomato pasta covering we usually know as "sauce" is better known to many as "gravy" or "Sunday gravy".

While marinara sauce was usually a fresh-tasting blend of tomatoes, tomato paste, garlic, basil and herbs, and ragu was bits of meats (and ground meat) cooked in a tomato-based sauce, "Sunday gravy" is more of a slow-cooked "peasant food" meal-in-one made with whatever was left at the end of the week; less herbs and seasonings, but flavors developed by simmering several cuts and types of meats and bones (basically whatever was available) with tomatoes and vegetables over a low heat for hours (or all day Sunday while the family went to church and so forth) until the meat infuses the sauce with lots of flavor and it thickens. It's almost a cross between typical brown gravy and tomato sauce. At dinner-time, the meat is then removed and served with the sauce and pasta, or saved for another day's meal.

I've taken the actual recipe from my "Soprano's Family Cookbook" and modified it LIKE CRAZY (obviously) to make a "Sunday Gravy" that is of course vegan but still stays faithful to the heritage and idea behind the recipe, with a slow-cooked 'meaty' and gravy-like tomato sauce. This recipe is VERY hearty, definitely enough protein for several meals. I've found I only use a little bit of the sauce and end up freezing the rest or storing in the fridge for another day. REALLY good stuff though, and well worth the effort!!

Italian 'Sunday Gravy' ala "The Sopranos"

Makes about 8 Cups

2 tablespoons olive oil
3 large portabello mushrooms, cut in 1-inch chunks
2 tbsp fennel seeds
1 lb. vegan Italian-style sausage links (homemade seitan or I like the Tofurky brats) cut in chunks
1 lb. seitan cutlets, cut in strips or Gardein beef 'tips', quartered
1 onion, cut in smallish chunks
1/2 cup celery (if desired)
4 garlic cloves
1/4 cup tomato paste
Three 28-ounce cans Italian peeled tomatoes (or two cans and 2 cups chopped fresh)
1 cup water
1 cup brown "beef" style, mushroom or vegetable broth
Salt and freshly ground pepper
6 whole cloves
1 bay leaf

The original recipe also has 2 lbs. of meatballs simmered in the sauce. You can use a package of 'Nate's' or your own recipe, but I find that to be major overload. Depends on how much "meat" you want.


Serve with:
2 pound box medium shells or rigatoni or some other "heavy" pasta that holds up to the texture of the sauce well; cooked and still hot
Nutritional yeast or whatever Parmesan substitute you prefer

To make the sauce:
Heat the oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Put fennel seeds, portabello chunks, "sausage" and "beef tips" or whatever seitan product you're using, onion and celery, in oil and turn occasionally until "meats" are nicely browned on all sides.

Add the garlic and cook for about two minutes or until golden. Add tomato paste and mix into "meats" and garlic, scraping any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Take off heat. With a food mill, puree the tomatoes, with their juice, and add into the pot. Or, for a chunkier sauce, just chop up the tomatoes and add them. Add broth and water.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Add cloves and bay leaf tied in a cheesecloth square. Bring the sauce to a simmer. Cover the pot and cook over low heat, stirring occasionally, for 2 hours (or in a crock pot 4 hours-to-all-day, on very low). If the sauce becomes too thick, add a little more water.

If you want to use meatballs too, add them 1/2 hour before end of cook time.

To serve:
The original recipe has you remove the meat and serve it as the next course. That doesn't work so well with mushroom and seitan chunks so I leave it in the sauce.

Cook pasta.
Toss the cooked pasta with the sauce. Sprinkle with nutritional yeast or whatever 'cheese' works for you.

Enjoy with pasta while watching your favorite episode of "The Sopranos"

Southern Tomato Gravy

In honor of our Veterans, I'm dragging out my second World-War II inspired recipe. Tomato Gravy originated in the Southern United States and apparently was a favorite with Army cooks who often served it to troops when ingredients for "typical" gravy were scarce.

Tomato Gravy is milder and creamier than a garlic and herb-flavored Italian-type tomato sauce, and not like brown gravy either. It's GOOD STUFF - if you've never had tomato gravy, it's just one more thing I highly recommend that you try.

I used to LOVE having this over at a friend's house, in high school. His Mom served it over toasty, buttered white bread (which I wasn't allowed at home - possibly why I loved this gravy so much!). She's the one who told me how her father had worked in an Army mess hall and fondly remembered this gravy being served on many occasions.
I didn't know people called it "Tomato Gravy" though, and spent years looking for a recipe for that "yummy tomato-sauce stuff". Thank goodness for the Internet, as I just re-discovered it a few years ago and have been inventing new uses (besides toasted Wonderbread) ever since!

It's also good on greens, potatoes, pasta, gnocchi, "meat"loaf or (like any gravy) pretty much anything.

Southern Tomato Gravy

2 tablespoons margarine
2 tablespoons flour
1/2 cup soy milk or soy creamer (I prefer the creamer)
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
pinch cayenne
15-ounce can chopped or sliced, stewed tomatoes


Get out your cast iron skillet again. Heat the margarine or oil over medium heat. Stir in the flour with a whisk until it is lump free. Let simmer for a moment or two, to toast the flour just a little bit, and then remove from heat, and stir in the half cup milk, a little at a time.

Put back on the burner, stir and bring to a boil, it will thicken considerably, and very fast. You’ll be left with a very thick mixture. Remove from heat, add the sugar and seasonings, whisking continuously, then slowly add the juice from the tomatoes. Put back on heat and simmer (very gentle boil).

In a shallow bowl, smash the tomatoes with your fork or a potato masher to make them sort of choppy or shredded. This gravy is not smooth, so you don't have to work real hard at smashing them. The lumpy tomatoes are actually what give it the characteristic texture.

Once gravy has come to a good simmer, add the tomatoes.

Bring back to a medium simmer (but don't let it boil hard) and stir with whisk for 3 to 5 minutes until gravy thickens.

*(optional: several tablespoons of nutritional yeast, whisked in at the end, are particularly delicious if you like that sort of thing.)

**(optional: A couple shakes "Bacon Salt" or a drop or two of liquid smoke are really good here too, depending on if you want the "smoky" flavor; Southern Tomato Gravy is often, but not always, made with bacon drippings - blergh).

Serve over toast, biscuits, whatever.

Summer Orzo and Vegetable Salad

This salad was inspired by one I saw Giada De Laurentiis do on Food Network. She, of course, used large shavings of Parmesan and some fancy-schmancy vinegar I'd never heard of.

That's OK, I've made this so many times now, I'm sure it doesn't resemble her recipe any more, I still like to say I got it from Giada though, sorta sounds impressive... At any rate, it's a refreshing summer lunch salad and a great way to use up tomatoes and zucchini; feel free to add whatever sounds good, it's so easy to throw together!!

Summer Orzo and Vegetable Salad

Vinaigrette:

• 1/2 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1/4 cup Sherry (or White Wine) Vinegar
• 1 Shallot, chopped (or 2 Tbsp. white onion, chopped)
• 1 clove Garlic, chopped
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Italian Parsley
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh Mint
  
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• Lots of fresh ground black pepper to taste

Puree the ingredients together in a small processor or blender. Set aside.

Salad:

• 2 (or three or four!!) medium zucchini (or yellow summer squash), diced into small (1/4-inch) pieces
• 1 cup drained, rinsed chick-peas/garbanzos, canned or cooked from dry
• 1 1/2 cups dry orzo, cooked as directed and drained well
• 1 container (or 1 1/2 cups) tiny grape tomatoes, halved or quartered (if you have the time and patience)
  
• 1/2 small red onion, thinly sliced, rinsed (or diced small, the rings just look really pretty)
  
• (optional, but yummy!) 1/4 cup coarsely chopped (pitted, obviously) kalamata olives
• 1/4 cup finely minced FRESH Italian flat-leaf parsley, or parsley and basil or whatever you have...
  
• (optional) toasted pine nuts
  
  

Directions

For the Vinaigrette: Puree ingredients and set aside.

For the Salad: Place the orzo, garbanzo beans, zucchini, tomato, red onion, olives and parsley in a large salad bowl.

Pour the vinaigrette over the salad and toss well. Garnish with toasted pine nuts and more chopped parsley if desired. Chill and serve.

This keeps well for several days in the fridge, if you can manage to stay out of it!

Grilled-Bread Salad

I need to use up some extra bread! For whatever reason, we have two lovely loaves of starting-to-go-stale whole-grain sourdough.

I made French Toast last night for supper and it was exceptional. But I've blogged about French Toast before. And if my middle Sprout was home, we'd make her wonderfully buttery garlic-toasted croutons. But that's her recipe so I'm left to other means.

I also have a few sad end-of-summer zucchini and tomatoes languishing away in the produce crisper that need to be used and appreciated, and several jars of half-used miscellaneous in the door of the fridge. Time to get creative.

Here you have the results of my using leftovers - sometimes a dangerous thing, as I hate to waste ANYTHING! But today's efforts turned out pretty tasty, and with a side of pasta, was a perfect supper to go with our unexpected bit of sunshine!! Use whatever ingredients you have on hand, I think wild substitutions here are not a problem!

Marinated Vegetables and Grilled Bread Salad

(I didn't make this idea up!! Bread Salad, or Panzanella, is a rustic, Italian peasant salad designed to use day-old bread, I swear it is!)

4 - 6 slices whole-grain sourdough bread or any hearty, whole-grain bread (thick slices are nice but not necessary)

2 small zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise

1 red bell pepper, halved
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt and black pepper

Heat Panini or outdoor grill to medium heat.
Brush bread, pepper and zucchini with olive oil, kosher salt and a few grinds of pepper. Grill on both sides, watching closely, until nicely browned. Don't let zucchini get overly soft.
When bread is cool enough to handle, cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Slice zucchini into 1/2 inch slices and pepper into chunks. Set aside.

Marinade:

5 Tablespoons champagne, red wine, or balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup good olive oil
1 teaspoon salt

1 clove garlic, put thru garlic press
freshly ground black pepper

Mix marinade together.

1 1/2 pounds ripe, meaty tomatoes, cut into 1/2 cubes or small cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small cucumber, cut into 1/2 cubes (1 1/2 cups)

1/2 a red onion, sliced
2 Tablespoons capers, drained, rinsed (optional but good!)

In a small bowl, marinate the tomatoes, capers, cucumbers and red onion in the marinade for 10 minutes, or while grilling bread and veggies. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a large bowl, reserving the marinade.

3 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped
3 Tablespoons fresh mint, chopped

3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped (use more or less of these herbs as you have them)

1/2 cup (more or less) chopped Kalamata or Spanish olives (I've done it both ways)

Toss the bread cubes, grilled vegetables, marinated vegetables, herbs and olives together. Drizzle with marinade as much as you want. You should have slightly moist bread but not overly soggy lumps. This is great even the next day, though the bread is considerably soggier by then, it's still good!! And if you should happen upon some firm, smoked tofu? It's AWESOME cubed in the salad. Just sayin'...

Not-Quite-Raw Spaghetti and Sauce

I'm definitely not "going raw" on you here, but the zucchini "noodles" that raw foodies use in place of traditional cooked pasta have always interested me.
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And oddly enough, I've owned a spiral slicer since, like, forever - because I'm a kitchen-gadget-nerd like that: (evidently spiral slicers are a raw-kitchen necessity, and important for making super-skinny noodle-type slices of zucchini ...which look a lot like worms, ...but I digress...)

So tonight when faced with the dilemma (MAJOR crisis!!!) of not-quite-enough spaghetti for the hungry natives, plus a wealth of zucchini and some grape tomatoes, I decided to give this raw "noodle" thing a try... This is NOT a "raw" recipe because I did use cooked pasta as well, but it was definitely a fun experiment with tasty results.
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First:
I cooked the bit of pasta I had, and while that was cooking, I shredded (or sliced?) the zuchinni into long, spiraling "noodles". I ended up with a ratio of about 2/3rds raw zucchini and 1/3 cooked pasta.
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Next:
After I drained the cooked pasta, I tossed the zucchini with it and drizzled with a little olive oil. Yes, I suppose the heat from the pasta "cooked" the zucchini somewhat.
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Then:
I topped everything with the following "raw" tomato sauce which I've actually made many times before. The sauce is amazing on hot summer days when you don't want to heat up the kitchen!! I admit my tiny grape tomatoes weren't garden-fresh, but they had a nice flavor anyway.
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Uncooked Tomato Sauce

1 clove garlic, peeled
2 pounds fresh garden-grown tomatoes (strong, sweet ones work best - cherry, grape, yellow, roma, whatever you have)
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes
2(ish) packed Tablespoons fresh basil leaves, rosemary, parsley, whatever you like
3 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Blend all of the above in a food processor until smooth.
Add red pepper flakes and a splash of red-wine vinegar to taste if you like.... Pour over pasta of your choice. Enjoy!!

Have a great weekend, enjoy the sunshine (if any shines in your part of the world - lots of "liquid sunshine" here!!).

Pico De Gallo (Fresh, Raw Salsa)

My mom gave me several pounds of almost-ripe tomatoes last week. She'd rescued them from her garden just before heavy frosts hit our area. Well, sitting in my still-sunny windowsill, ALL those tomatoes decided to ripen at once. Today.

Being the Mexican-food fan that I am, I just happened to have limes, cilantro and such hanging out in my fridge, so I decided to whip up a big ol' batch of pico de gallo, or fresh salsa. I suppose if you're into the whole RAW thing, you could call this Raw Salsa. Because it is. But whatever you want to call it, it's one of my favorites because it's the easiest stuff ever...

Here's my basic recipe. (I think I tripled it tonight). You might want to chop things a little smaller than my picture - I was getting lazy towards the end. And my jalapenos were extremely spicy... but all in all, great stuff!!

Pico De Gallo

1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes
1/4 cup diced mild onion (I like red onions or Walla Walla sweets)
1 tablespoon diced jalapenos (or more to taste)
1 tablespoon minced or pressed garlic
Juice of 2 limes
2 tablespoons (or more) finely chopped cilantro, plus extra for garnish
Salt and pepper to taste

Combine ingredients and chill.

Serve with chips.