There are many recipes for meat sauce in Italian cooking.
Everyone is familiar with the Italian-American staple, meat sauce. Hearty and simple, tomato and ground beef meld to create one of the world's ultimate comfort foods. Used as a basic blueprint, the typical recipe for meat sauce can be altered and improved to make a number of gourmet sauces which can be served over pasta, polenta or gnocchi to make an elevated yet still comforting meal.
Oxtail Ragu
While oxtail may not be a staple of American cooking, it is quite common in other cultures around the globe. Oxtail is often prepared in a long braise in order to tenderize the tough meat and bring out its flavor, which makes it a perfect addition to a ragu, or thick Italian meat sauce. Sauteed vegetables such as onion, carrot, and celery are mixed with tomato paste, wine, herbs and stock, then the oxtail is cooked in this mixture for several hours until tender. The meat is shredded from the bone and mixed with the reduced sauce. Oxtail ragu is served over gnocchi, thick noodles such as papardelle, or soft polenta.
Pork Sausage "Gravy"
A simple red marinara sauce can be spiced up considerably with the simple addition of Italian sausage. Most stores carry two types, spicy and sweet. Mixing both together gives the sauce a complex flavor. The sausages should be removed from their casings, mixed together, and sauteed in olive oil with garlic, onion and bell pepper. Then, add crushed tomatoes and any desired herbs or spices and cook until heated through. This sauce is delicious served over penne pasta, which will catch bits of sausage and sauce inside its holes.
Veal Bolognese
Similar to a ragu, a bolognese sauce contains the addition of milk or cream, giving it an elegant, rich texture. The richness of such a sauce is a perfect match for veal. Saute ground veal in olive oil with garlic and onion, then deglaze the pan with white wine or veal stock. Add onions, celery and carrots as well as any herbs or spices. Once vegetables soften, add crushed tomatoes and cook until heated through. Finish the sauce with milk or cream. A large, tubular pasta is a great match for this sauce, as is light, pillowy gnocchi.
Arrabiata with Pancetta
Arrabiata ("angry") sauce is a spicy tomato-based sauce, often made without meat. However, the simple addition of pancetta, Italian cured ham, serves to deepen the flavor and temper the heat. Saute pancetta, preferably thickly cut and diced into cubes, with a little bit of olive oil. Once the fat is rendered and the pancetta is crispy, remove it with a slotted spoon, but leave the fat. Add onion, garlic, and red chili flakes, then crushed tomatoes. Put the pancetta back in and heated through. Serve over spaghetti.
Tags: meat sauce, cook until, cook until heated, crushed tomatoes, heated through
