Marinara Mafia

It so happens that I learned to make gravy from little old Sicilian ladies in Brooklyn when I lived there a million years ago.  When I look on the internet for recipes for gravy (marinara), there’s all kinds of celebrity chef recipes that put all kinds of things in it that simply don’t belong there.  It’s one of those elusive recipes that’s just never authentic because of all the dumb add ins.  Like carrots.  There’s no carrots in gravy.  Or onions.  Or celery.  I mean, we’re not making soup.

And then there’s the oregano.  With marinara there are two distinct camps.  The oregano camp and the no oregano camp.  I’m firmly in the no oregano camp.  Not every tomato is exactly the same in it’s level of acidity and sweetness.  Consequently, oregano can make some tomatoes taste bitter.  And sometimes not.  The point is, why risk a bitter sauce?  Just don’t.

Then there’s the tomato battle.  Paste tomatoes are preferred by just about everyone and canned is considered only if you’re buying San Marzano canned tomatoes.  But we live in a modern era of counterfeit food items and canned “San Marzano” tomatoes often are not what they seem.  And who would know the difference anyway?  I don’t know anyone that could open a can of fake San Marzanos, taste it, and be like, “Oh.  This can does not contain San Marzano tomatoes.”  It’s laughable really.  And since most of us don’t have days to make gravy and an acre of San Marzano tomatoes in our backyards from which to make said gravy, we all kind of have to deal with a can of crushed tomatoes.  It’s totally fine and I keep a couple on hand in case of a sauce emergency.  I, on the other hand, am a complete rebel and I use whatever tomatoes I like because my tomato palate extends far beyond the humble paste tomato and also because I grow a crap ton of tomatoes for the sole purpose of making gravy.  Ok, and the occasional BLT.  And caprese salads.  And for fried greeen tomatoes.  And for just eating off the vine with a little salt.  You get the idea….I really like tomatoes and the spectrum of tomato flavors in heirlooms.  This year my tomato bags include Purple Cherokees, Black Krims, Brandywines, Mortgage Lifters, Big Zacs, and a few others.

So, what I do is grow as many as I can, core them with my handy dandy corer thingy, pop them into a freezer bag, suck out all the air, and jam them into my chest freezer.  Then I take out two gallon bags of tomatoes, let them defrost, and drop them whole into my pot.  The skins slip right off as I drop them in.  I don’t even remove the seeds.  I’m that lazy.  I cook all the water out, and then proceed with the recipe.  If you prefer a seedless concoction, scoop the seeds out during coring before freezing or simply press the cooked sauce through a sieve after it’s cooled.

This recipe is for the basic gravy and it can be done with or without meat.  Both versions can be used as a base for countless other sauces like bolognese or pizza sauce and spoonfuls can be dropped into soups and stews.  And, of course, meatballs and Italian sausage can be added to both versions.