Salsa di Domenica "Sunday Gravy" recipe courtesy of Chef Erik Pettersen of Evo Italian :
Ingredients
1 lb. all-natural pork butt (cut into 2-inch cubes)
1 lb. homemade sweet Italian sausage links
1 lb. Angus beef chuck roast or beef short ribs (cut into 2-inch cubes)
1 lb. pork belly or fat back of pork
8 whole peeled and cleaned garlic cloves (on a cutting board, place the side of knife on top and crack garlic)
2 large sweet Spanish onions (cut into large 1/2-inch pieces)
12 oz. of quality chardonnay
6 28-oz. cans of certified Italian D.O.P San Marzano tomatoes (open cans into a large bowl and crush tomatoes by hand)
1 lb. garden fresh sweet basil
3 tbsp. sea salt
3 tbsp. red crushed pepper
8 oz. extra-virgin olive oil
8 oz. pecorino Romano cheese
8 oz. whipped ricotta for topping
2 lb. mezza rigatoni
Directions
In a large sauce pan, heat the extra-virgin olive oil to medium–high. Add pork belly (or fat back if available) to oil. Sear pork to release the juices. Then add beef chuck or short rib to pan and sweet Italian sausage. Brown meats to seal in flavor (about 15 minutes). Add onions and cracked garlic to pan. Caramelize and brown them, but don't burn them. Then, add 1 tablespoon of salt and pour in chardonnay to deglaze the pan. This will bring all of the flavors together. Reduce wine by half, then add the hand-crushed San Marzano tomatoes. Cover pot, set stove to low and simmer for 6.5 to 8 hours. Taste a piece of pork for tenderness.
If it falls apart, it's ready.
Then add the remaining salt and red pepper. When sauce is ready, bring salted water to boil, add the rigatoni and cook until it's al dente. Pour pasta onto large platter, place the tender chunks of meat around the surface of the pasta then pour the sauce over the top. Dust the top with plenty of pecorino Romano. Place the whipped ricotta in the middle. Then tear the basil into pieces over the entire dish.
