Sauce or gravy...???

Well, where we come from it's sauce, but for my comrades in parts of NY (and maybe elsewhere), it can be gravy, too. Of course, to us, gravy is a slightly thickened brown sauce that we served with turkey. Now that I'm in the south, however, gravy is a very thick white/off white/grayish substance, often with sausage in it. Let me just say, though I had trouble describing it, the southern gravy is actually pretty good, especially with spicy sausage served over biscuits. Good lord! Rabbit trail!!! Sorry, back on track now. So, basically, it's red sauce to me and I'm making a batch even as we speak. I tend to simmer the sauce a good portion of the day, or as long as possible. I have yet to simmer it too long, I'm actually not sure it's possible. It just keeps getting better. Anyway, the other day someone asked me if I was going to post a sauce recipe, so here goes. Again, let me toss out my disclaimer...I rarely measure anything for my sauce...sorry. Having said that, this is what I did this am:

4, 6oz cans tomato paste (rule of thumb for me is about 2 cans of liquid per can of paste)

2, #10 cans crushed tomatoes (#10 holds 3 quarts or 96 fluid oz)

1 bottle of red wine (never use cooking wine, cheaper wine is fine, though, or you can use water to thin the paste instead)

olive oil (since I used a giant pot, 20 qt, I believe, I needed a good bit of oil to coat the bottom)

minced garlic (again, no measurement, I use a serving spoon and I added 2 scoops, about 1/4 C)

(there has been some debate between fresh garlic and minced garlic, use whatever you like, I like having a big jar of minced on hand).

Spices: I love fresh, but for some reason, I prefer dried spices for my sauce. I use:

1-2 T rosemary (in almost every savory dish)

1-2 t thyme

pinch of crushed red pepper flakes

1-2 T granulated garlic

1-2 T basil

1-2 t oregano (it's strong)

1-2 T parsley

1-2 t cilantro

salt to taste

black pepper to taste

small amount of sugar to cut acid (maybe 1/4 c for this size, you don't want it sweet...or at least, I don't)

So, yeah, these are rough estimates since, like I said, I don't measure. The nice thing about sauce is that since it simmers so long, you can taste it and keep adding spices throughout the cooking time.
I start on medium heat with some olive oil and garlic and let it cook a bit (though you need to be careful since it can burn easily) then I add the tomato paste and spices and wine (or water if you prefer). Let that cook a little, while stirring, then I add the crushed tomatoes. Let me say this about the tomatoes, I have not found a lot of difference in tomato pastes, and I use whatever crushed tomatoes happen to be sold in whatever store I am in, however, the best tomatoes, in my opinion, are the San Marzano. I have only found whole tomatoes (canned) and not crushed with the San Marzano, so I usually take the "path of least resistance" and just get whatever type of crushed is on hand.
Once I have everything in the pot, I turn it down (2-2.5 on my stove) and just let it simmer to perfection, stirring occasionally. That's it, very simple. Maybe I'll post some other sauces later on, like alfredo, pesto, etc. As always, taste, and experiment. If there's a spice I add that you don't like, then don't put it in. Sometimes, I'll add bay leaves (but then I have to remember to take them out). I have a friend that cooks a bone-in beef roast (after searing it) in their sauce, and it's very good. I make mine meatless and then usually have the meat on the side.
Here are some pics of sauce making:

Some of my ingredients, black pepper, cilantro, thyme, crushed red pepper, rosemary, salt, red wine...

The basics

Spice basket, I should really get a spice rack...if for no other reason than to have my friends be able to say, "Nice Rack!"

Paste, wine, garlic, olive oil, spices, BCT (before crushed tomatoes)

Happily simmering. Will turn a much deeper color in a few hours.



Buon Appetito!