Combinato Sugo di Vini Rossi (Combined Red Wines Gravy)

 

I choose to believe that my Sicilian grandmother would approve of the additions that I made to her original recipe for Sauce/Gravy.  Her recipe is goodness in itself.  I absolutely love the simplicity of it and the clean taste.

However, I’m married to someone who puts sugar in his sauce and chili and it sends chills up my spine.  They’re good but too sweet for me.  So, in the interest of keeping things copasetic, I decided to come up with a sauce that might suit both our tastes.

To begin with I added celery, carrots and onions to the garlic in the original recipe.  I wanted it to pick up flavors that would marry well with the garlic…which actually would be almost anything.  

I decided to give this newer version of sauce/gravy a boost that would satisfy both me and the Pilot.  I poured in a wine combo using two different red wines.  This added note gave the sauce a huge jolt with enough sweetness for the Pilot while leaving just a touch of acidity for me.  Mission accomplished.  We learned about this blended wine at Carrabbas Restaurant while traveling in Florida.  

Carrabbas calls one of their house wines, Montepulchiano d’Abruzzo.  When we tasted it we loved it and asked the waiter if they sold it by the bottle so we could bring some home with us.  Alas, they only sell it by the glass.  But…he did tell us what it was comprised of.  It’s a combination of my very favorite Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon.  I’ve since learned that a lot of restaurants make up their own house wines by combining any leftover opened reds.  I shall call ours, Vino Rossi Combinati…combined red wines.  Hence, the new name of this sauce.

Here is the recipe for our newer sauce…for us!

Olive Oil
4 cloves of garlic, minced
2 stalks of celery, diced
2 carrots, diced
1 onion, diced
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried basil
1 tsp. dried parsley
1 cup of Vino Rossi Combinati…plus a generous splash
1 large can of tomato paste
2 28oz. cans San Marzano tomatoes
1 28oz can of water…more or less
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
¾ cup fresh Italian flat leaf parsley, sliced
¾ cup Basil, sliced
Salt & Pepper to taste

Swirl enough olive oil around a large Dutch oven to coat the bottom.  Let heat over medium high until it’s hot.  Add in the garlic, stirring constantly so that it won’t burn, letting it cook until golden.

Add the celery, carrots and onions to the pan and cook until they are tender and there isn’t any liquid left. 

Add the tomato paste and mix well.  Next, stir in the dried herbs until mixed in.  Now, add the wine and stir until heated through. 

Add both cans of tomatoes, along with the Parmesan cheese, stirring the sauce so that all of the cheese is mixed in.  Add one can of water…less or more depending on your desired thickness of the gravy.  Finally, add in the fresh parsley and basil.

 

Bring to a gentle boil and immediately reduce the heat to simmer.  Let the sauce simmer for several hours, stirring it every once in a while.

After a couple of hours, check the sauce and see if it’s thin/thick enough for your personal taste. 

Bonus:  House smells like Nonna wrapped her arms around you and told you everything would be all right.  Oh, and that you did well!

Side Note:  I made mine into a meat sauce/gravy because I ran out of time to make meatballs.  Yeah, I know.  I felt like a traitor but the Pilot loves meat sauce and I’m all about meeting in the middle.  This sauce goes well with any type of pasta.

Buon Appetito.  Mangiare ed essere felice (Eat and be happy).