Salsiccia e Costine in Umido
Sugo della Domenica: The Sacred Sunday Dinner
Growing up, 'Sunday Gravy' often meant a kitchen sink of hybridized meats drowning in garlic powder. Step into a kitchen in Campania, though, and you'll find a profound, beautiful simplicity. This is about knowing how to treat the pig. Two humble cuts—sausage and ribs—browned perfectly and left to bubble in pure strained tomatoes until the fat melts and sweetens the sauce naturally. The active prep takes twenty minutes. Let it simmer while you deal with life. It tastes even better tomorrow.
Before you start
Prepare your aromatics finely.
The secret to the soffritto melting entirely into the sauce is mincing the onion, carrot, and celery as finely as possible so they dissolve rather than remaining as distinct chunks.
Ingredients
- pork spare ribs or baby back ribs1 1/2 lb
- fresh mild or sweet Italian sausage links1 lb
- extra virgin olive oil2 tbsp
- yellow onion1 med
- carrot1 med
- celery1 stalk
- garlic2 large cloves
- dry red wine1/2 cup
- tomato paste2 tbsp
- tomato passata28 oz
- warm water1 cup
- dried bay leaves2
- kosher saltto taste
- black pepperto taste
- dried short pasta1 lb
- pecorino romano or parmigiano-reggianoto taste
Method
- 01
Sear the meats until deeply golden-brown.
Heat the olive oil in a heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the ribs and whole sausages in batches, searing for 3 to 4 minutes per side. This crust is the entire foundation of the sauce's flavor. Remove the meats to a plate, leaving the rendered fat in the pot.
- 02
Sauté the aromatics in the rendered pork fat.
Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the minced onion, carrot, celery, and smashed garlic cloves directly into the hot fat. Cook slowly for 5 to 7 minutes until the vegetables soften and the onion turns sweet and translucent.
- 03
Toast the tomato paste and deglaze with red wine.
Increase the heat to medium-high and stir in the tomato paste for 1 minute to unlock its umami. Pour in the red wine, scraping up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon. Let it bubble for about 2 minutes until the liquid reduces by half and the smell of raw alcohol dissipates.
- 04
Combine the ingredients for the slow simmer.
Return the ribs, sausages, and any resting juices to the pot. Pour in the tomato passata, then use the warm water to rinse out the tomato jar and add that liquid to the pot. Drop in the bay leaves and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- 05
Simmer low and slow for up to two hours.
Bring the pot to a gentle boil, then immediately drop the heat to the lowest possible setting. Partially cover with a lid and let it simmer—just an occasional lazy bubble—for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally. It is ready when the meat shrinks from the bone and the sauce is a deep, glossy red with pools of shimmering fat.
- 06
Serve the traditional two-course Southern Italian way.
Remove the meats to a platter and keep warm. Cook the pasta in heavily salted boiling water until al dente, drain, and toss vigorously in the rich tomato sauce over low heat for 1 minute. Serve the pasta first with grated cheese, followed by the ribs and sausages as the main course.
Notes
Make it ahead of time.
Stews fundamentally improve when cooled and reheated because the gelatin sets and flavor compounds homogenize. Make this on a Sunday or a busy Tuesday, let it sit overnight, and boil the pasta to serve it the next day for dinner in just 12 minutes.
From Cook Italian in America.