A Sunday sauce of unknown origin

A low effort, high reward pasta sauce.

Paid subscribers: You’re getting this post in February, but this is the January recipe. You will get an additional recipe this month.

Even though I’m barely Italian (14% to be exact lol), my family, like many Italian-American families has a recipe for Sunday sauce that’s served on lazy weekends and at family Gatherings. It’s rich and cozy, and it’s defined by it’s low and slow cooking — once everything is in the pot, you can just let it bubble all day (and it’s even better the next).

For a long time, we thought this recipe came from our family that immigrated to Chicago from Southern Italy in the early 20th century. But then one day over dinner, my grandma turned this lore on its head: apparently this recipe came from her friend in Chicago who got it from a Native American woman in Oklahoma. Who knows where it came from before that. As families move and adapt to new places, their recipes evolve alongside them. I’m sure my grandmother tweaked that recipe, and I know my mom tweaked the version she grew up with. And today, you’re getting my further tweaked version.

If the end result is good, who cares where the original recipe came from?

messy-delicious

Sunday sauce

Like basically every Sunday sauce recipe, this version uses meaty bones to impart richness and body to the sauce. Where this differs, though, is the use of pork neck bones, a fairly uncommon cut. They make the sauce meaty, but I wouldn’t call this a MEAT sauce like some other versions I’ve had. This sauce freezes well which means you can have a lot of delicious meals from minimal effort. Serve alongside meatballs and crusty bread. Try not to lick the bowl.