Today is a great day to simmer a delicious pot of Grandma’s Sunday Sauce. If you missed the video that shows the sauce making event at Grandma’s…you can watch it herehttp://randsmeatmarket.com/2014/09/02/grandmas-sunday-sauce/ ‎
FYI…plan to spend a beautiful afternoon making this sauce. Pour yourself a glass of wine, put on your favorite tunes and be prepared for family members to taste test along the way….

Sauce Ingredients:
Two 28 oz cans of Whole Peeled Tomatoes
Three 28 oz cans of Crushed Tomatoes
2 yellow onions diced
2 red onions diced
8 cloves of garlic chopped fine
Handful of fresh basil chopped
Six to eight dried bay leaves
4 teaspoons of dried oregano
4 tablespoons of granulated sugar
2 teaspoons of granulated garlic
Four to six tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Couple splashes of Cabernet Wine
Eight links of sweet sausage
Eight short ribs of beef

Meatball Ingredients:
3 pounds of ground beef/pork/veal mixture
1 1/2 rolls ( or several pieces of Italian bread) Soaked in water and squeezed
5 eggs
1/2 cup of grated locatelli cheese
small handful of fresh basil chopped
pinch of salt and pepper
vegetable oil for frying

Grandma uses two large sauce pots and one large frying pan to make this sauce. The entire process can take between four and five hours.

For the sauce:
Distribute the chopped onions, garlic and sweet sausage links evenly between two large heavy sauce pots. Add about two to three tablespoons of Extra Virgin Olive Oil per pot and sauté over medium heat until everything looks golden brown ( about 8-10 minutes).

While the above ingredients are sautéing, empty the cans of whole tomatoes into a large bowl and squish between your fingers to break them into pieces. Distribute them between the two pots and stir gently.

As your sauce continues to cook over a med/low heat, sprinkle the beef short ribs with a little salt and pepper and brown them in a large heavy frying pan with a small amount of Olive Oil. This process can take between ten to twelve minutes.

When the short ribs of beef are browned nicely on both sides, transfer them to the sauce. Now you will also add the three cans of crushed tomatoes, dividing them evenly amongst both pots of sauce. Giving the sauce a gentle stir you can also add whole bay leaves, 2 tablespoons of sugar and several splashes of Cabernet. Cover the pot with a lid that is set on an angle to let steam escape and prevent your sauce from boiling. Keep your heat low/med….let the sauce simmer as you prepare the meatballs!

For the meatballs:
In a large bowl, mix the beef/pork/veal with soaked and squeezed bread, eggs, locatelli cheese, chopped fresh basil, one teaspoon of granulated garlic and a pinch of salt and pepper. After the ingredients are mixed thoroughly, shape them into nice size meatballs. This should make about twenty five medium sized meatballs. Heat vegetable oil in the large frying pan. Add meatballs to brown in two separate batches so as not to crowd the pan. Meatballs should brown nicely on both sides for a total of twelve minutes. Add the meatballs to your sauce pots and simmer altogether for about two hours stirring gently every so often.

At the two hour mark, remove the meatballs and sausage from the sauce and set aside. The beef short ribs will continue to simmer in the sauce for another two hours.

After your sauce has simmered for a total of four hours, the beef short ribs should have fallen off the bone. Remove these bones from the sauce and give the pot a stir. You will be left with the most delicious Sunday Sauce. Serve it over your favorite pasta along side your delicious sausage and meatballs! Enjoy with your wonderful family!

A huge thank you to Grandma for sharing her delicious recipe with us. I had so much fun cooking with her and I think the secret to her delicious sauce besides the love she adds…is taking your time….and enjoying the experience. Cheers to making many pots of this delicious Sauce and spending many beautiful Sundays with our families!