Should this Italian comfort food, with all of its tomato and meat, be called “gravy” or “sauce”?
In our household gravy is more like a beverage during the holidays, so when I first heard about Sunday Gravy, I got our gravy boat out enthusiastically.
(Sigh) Is it April Fools Day??
Turns out, the term “gravy” is unique to South Philly Italians and everyone else calls it sauce.
Get this. Italians in Italy don’t even use gravy.
Apparently, early Italian immigrants, being new to America, started calling their tomato sauce “gravy” and the trend continued.
Semantics aside, we’re going to cook a heavenly dish and you’re going to love it. However, there are be a few
Non-negotiable cooking rules:
. Use good tomatoes.
. Sweat and caramelize the garlic and onions. Don’t burn them.
. Use a heavy, thick pot, like an enameled cast-iron or a Dutch oven.
. Have patience, so your house could smell homey. Capisce?
Full Recipe at