Pressure Cooker Italian-American Sunday Gravy Ragu

Sunday Gravy is an Italian-American dish– very popular on the East Coast. The “gravy” is more of a ragu that has been slowly simmered with various meats. There are many variations of this recipe, each of them touting to be “the best”. This recipe version has been adapted to a pressure cooker, to shorten the time to under an hour. It might not be Nonna’s way of making it, but it’s comfort food with lots of rich flavor.

In my corner of the Central Coast of California, that I call home, we are experiencing a mish-mash of weather. One day, it’s sunny and warm so we fire up the Weber to enjoy some grilling. The next day, the clouds roll in and bring some much needed rain (for just a short while) and I think more of slow cooking stews or pasta.  I’m okay with the change in weather, because I enjoy any kind of braised dishes.

Sundays have become my weekly afternoon to spend in the kitchen trying out new recipes.  I appreciate my Sundays as “me time” and being able to make more time-consuming recipes– which has become therapeutic for me.

I can understand how a ragu sauce called “Sunday Gravy” derived it’s name.  I can almost picture so many Italian Nonna’s making this rich tomato sauce that has been slow cooking for hours on the stove.

From my internet research, I’ve learned that Sunday Gravy is an Italian-American dish– very popular on the East Coast.  The “gravy” is more of a ragu that has been slowly simmered with various meats. There are many variations of this recipe, each of them touting to be “the best”.  I’ve never had “Sunday Gravy” before, though I have heard about it from  few Italian-American friends who make this– which left me longing to make it myself.

One afternoon, one of my most trusted recipe sources– American’s Test Kitchen (“ATK”)— showed an episode for their version of “Sunday Gravy”.  I was smitten, and book marked their recipe.  The mouth-watering components of this dish were enough to finally entice me into make this in my own kitchen– plus, it’s no secret that we love pastas with tomato based sauces.

Braciole, (a pounded out piece of beef, that is stuffed with ingredients like raisins, pine nuts, cheese and prosciutto) is a  traditional meat ingredient for Sunday Gravy.  It’s also a lot of work to do (and recipe I have yet to try making for myself).   

To cut back on the prep work, instead of making braciole, this recipe uses baby back ribs, homemade meatballs and hot Italian sausage.  Still, there is about an hour of prep work to do and that’s why this isn’t something to make on a work night. Hence, this was a Sunday supper. I rolled up my sleeves, put my ear buds to listen to an audio book, and got to work.

The secret is in the sauce, so to speak– which is more of a “ragu” because it’s tomato based, but the slow braised meats add lots of great flavor.  The sauce is thick, and is cooked long and slow for hours on the stove– which requires stirring and keeping a close eye on it.  ATK decided to use the oven (for 2-1/2 hours) so that it could cook low and slow with no need to stir.   On some lazy Sundays,  I do love to make slow-braised dishes (like Osso Bucco) in the oven because the meat turns out to be super tender, and it’s falling off the bone.  But, there are times when I want to speed up the process.

That’s when I bring out  my favorite kitchen “secret weapon”– my beloved pressure cooker. So, I adapted this recipe to be made in my pressure cooker for 45 minutes versus 2-1/2 hours!  I will, however, provide a printable recipe card that gives you directions on how to make this, in the oven, if you don’t own a pressure cooker. So, here we go!

I made the meatballs, first.  I’ve made an ATK Pressure Cooker Spaghetti and Meatballs recipe, which is one of my most viewed recipes. This recipe was similar, but with a couple of additional ingredients. First, we begin with a “panade” which is white bread and milk (in this case, buttermilk) that is “smooshed” into a soft paste. (The panade helps to bind the meatloaf mixture (as does the egg yolk) and makes the meatballs soft and tender.) 

I didn’t have buttermilk on hand (which I usually do), so I used a buttermilk powder as my emergency substitute.  (Likewise, ATK says you could use plain yogurt mixed with milk.) To the panade, fresh parsley and minced garlic, red pepper flakes, and salt  is added.

I found a local grocery store that sells a meatloaf mixture of ground beef and ground pork. 

ATK adds Prosciutto and cheese to the meatball mixture to mimic the flavor of the brasciole.  Clever!  The meatball mixture is divided into fourths, then each fourth into three meatballs.  (I do love a good meatball, and this is the component I was most looking forward to).  These are covered in plastic and refrigerated until we add them at the very end of the cooking time.

The instructions for using a Dutch Oven or a pressure cooker are the same.  Pat the ribs dry, and season with salt and pepper.  My electric pressure cooker has a browning cycle, which I used to brown the ribs on each side with a little olive oil. 

Once removed, I did the same for the hot Italian sausages.  Those were set on a plate, with the ribs and then it was time to make the sauce.

Using the browning cycle in my electric pressure cooker, I added about 2 cups of diced onion and some oregano, then some tomato paste and fresh garlic.  My kitchen was beginning to smell like an Italian restaurant!

Crushed tomatoes and beef broth are then added (the beef broth adds the flavor that would have come from the brasciole).  If using a Dutch Oven, the whole pot goes into a 325F oven for 2-1/2 hours.  For my pressure cooker, I locked the lid on, set the pressure to HIGH for 45 minutes and got busy finishing up the meatballs.

That’s what we’re talkin’ about!  So, why not add the meatballs with the ribs and sausages, you might wonder?  ATK’s answer is that they don’t become mushy and fall apart.  So, once the pressure cooker beeped, I did a QUICK RELEASE and remove any fat that was floating on top (there really wasn’t much at all), and then gently nestled the meatballs into the P/C.  I replaced the lid, locked it on and pressure cooked the Sunday Gravy for 3 minutes.  I did a natural release, while I finished up cooking the pasta.

If using a Dutch Oven, transfer browned meatballs to sauce and gently submerge. Cover, return pot to oven, and continue cooking until meatballs are just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

I cooked some linguine pasta until al dente, then added about a cup of sauce and a little reserved pasta water to lightly coat the pasta. 

Is this a manly meal or what?!  This recipe could easily feed 6-8 hungry people.   With prep work and pressure cooking time, this took about 1-3/4 hours. Plus, the kitchen was cleaned up in between.  Not bad!

TASTING NOTES:  I thought the sauce would do any Nonna proud.  It was thick and flavorful.  My personal favorite was the meatballs, without a doubt.  I like ribs, but my favorite way is grilled.  That’s not to say they didn’t taste good!  My husband went for the sausages and had seconds on the sauce.  Sunday Gravy is comfort food at it’s best.  I would definitely make this again, but would try making this more authentic with my  Dutch Oven– and I’d like to take the time to make braciole.  Once again, ATK has developed a recipe that delivers flavor, more simplicity and a dish that I would proudly serve to family and guests.

Buon appetito!

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Pressure Cooker Sunday Gravy (Traditional Oven Method is included)

Sunday Gravy is an Italian-American dish– very popular on the East Coast. The “gravy” is more of a ragu that has been slowly simmered with various meats. There are many variations of this recipe, each of them touting to be “the best”. This recipe version has been adapted to a pressure cooker, to shorten the time to under an hour. It might not be Nonna's way of making it, but it's comfort food with lots of rich flavor.

Prep Time1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Cook Time45 minutes mins

Total Time2 hours hrs 15 minutes mins

Course: main

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Pressure Cooker Sunday Gravy, Sunday Gravy

Servings: 8

Author: Debby – www.AFeastfortheEyes.net

Equipment

• Pressure Cooker (the instructions also includes a traditional stove top version)

Ingredients

• SAUCE:
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 rack baby back ribs about 2 1/4 pounds, cut into 2-rib sections
• Table salt and ground black pepper
• 1 pound hot Italian sausage links
• 2 medium onions chopped fine (about 2-cups)
• 1 1/4 teaspoons dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 4 medium garlic cloves minced or pressed through garlic press (about 4-teaspoons)
• 2 28-ounce cans crushed tomatoes
• 2/3 cup beef broth
• 1/4 cup fresh basil leaves chopped
• MEATBALLS:
• 2 slices hearty white sandwich bread crusts removed and bread cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup buttermilk Six tablespoons of plain yogurt thinned with 2 tablespoons of milk can be substituted for the buttermilk.
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves chopped
• 2 medium garlic cloves minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1/2 teaspoon table salt
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 pound meatloaf mix* I used a combo of ground beef and pork
• 2 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto chopped fine
• 1 ounce Pecorino Romano grated (about 1/2 cup)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• PASTA:
• 1 1/2 pounds spaghetti or linguine
• 2 tablespoons table salt
• Grated parmesan cheese for serving

Instructions

Pressure cooker method:

• Do not preheat the oven, as you won't be using it for the pressure cooker.
• Using the saute feature of your pressure cooker, add a thin layer of oil.

  Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add half of ribs to pot and brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer ribs to large plate and brown remaining ribs.

Traditional method:

• Adjust oven rack to lower- middle position and heat oven to 325°F
• Heat oil in large Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Pat ribs dry with paper towels and season with salt and pepper. Add half of ribs to pot and brown on both sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer ribs to large plate and brown remaining ribs.
• After transferring second batch of ribs to plate, brown sausages on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes total. Transfer sausages to plate with ribs.

For the Sauce (stove top version):

• Reduce heat to medium, add onions and oregano; cook, stirring occasionally, until beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
• Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until very dark, about 3 minutes.
• Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
• Add crushed tomatoes and broth, scraping up any browned bits. Return ribs and sausage to pot; bring to simmer, cover, and transfer to oven**.
• Cook until ribs are tender, about 2½ hours**.

For the sauce (pressure cooker version):

• Once the meats have been browned, and the sauce made, cover and lock on the pressure cooker lid. Pressure cook on high for 45 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the meatballs.

For the meatballs (can be made a day ahead):

• Meanwhile, combine bread cubes, buttermilk, parsley, garlic, egg yolk, salt, and red pepper flakes in medium bowl and mash with fork until no bread chunks remain.
• Add meatloaf mix, prosciutto, and cheese to bread mixture; mix with hands until thoroughly combined.
• Divide mixture into 12 pieces; roll into balls, transfer to plate, cover with plastic, and refrigerate until ready to use.
• When sauce is 30 minutes from being done, heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering.

  If using a pressure cooker, use the saute function.

Cook the meatballs:

• Add meatballs and cook until well browned all over, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer meatballs to paper towel-lined plate to drain briefly.

Oven version:

• Remove sauce from oven and skim fat from top with large spoon. Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and gently submerge. Cover, return pot to oven, and continue cooking until meatballs are just cooked through, about 15 minutes.

Pressure cooker version:

• When the pressure cooker beeps, release the pressure and carefully remove the lid. Skim fat from top with large spoon. Transfer browned meatballs to sauce and gently submerge. Replace the lid, and lock it, and pressure cook for 3 minutes. Release the pressure and carefully remove the lid.

Pasta:

• Meanwhile, bring 6 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add pasta and salt and cook until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup cooking water; drain pasta and transfer back to cooking pot.
• To serve: Using tongs, transfer meatballs, ribs, and sausage to serving platter and cut sausages in half.
• Stir basil into sauce and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper.
• Toss pasta with 1 cup sauce and reserved pasta cooking water so that sauce lightly coats pasta. Serve pasta, passing remaining sauce and meat platter separately.

Notes

Notes: I made the meatball mixture, first, since my pressure cooker time was 45 minutes. If using the stove top method, you will have 2-1/2 hours of time to make the meatballs– which are absolutely delicious on their own!

Note: Prosciutto and cheese are added to the meatball mixture to mimic the flavor of the brasciole.

 

Recipe source: America’s Test Kitchen

Tried this recipe?Mention @afeastfortheeyes or tag #afeastfortheeyesblog!

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