Authentic Italian Red Sauce with Pork
Authentic Italian Red Sauce with Pork, straight from Nonna’s kitchen. This is the real deal sauce, ideal for pasta of all varieties.
Servings 10 people
Ingredients
- 1/3 Extra Virgin Olive Oil good quality
- 1-2 pinches red pepper flakes to taste (optional)
- 1 lb Country Style Ribs boneless
- 1 lb Italian Sausage hot or mild removed from casings
- 1 teaspoon fennel seed crushed
- 1 medium onion chopped yellow
- 6 cloves crushed garlic
- 1/2 cup dry red wine Cabernet Sauvignon for deglazing
- 2 28 oz. cans whole tomatoes hand crushed
- 1 28 oz. crushed tomatoes
- 1 Parmesan cheese rind optional but adds to depth of flavor
- 2 Tablespoons fresh chopped fresh basil or 1 Tablespoon dried
- 2 bay leaves fresh or dried
- 1 teaspoon fresh chopped oregano or 1/2 teaspoon dried
- 2 Tablespoons sugar balances the acid
- Kosher Sea Salt to taste
- fresh ground black pepper to taste
- grated Parmesan or Grana Padano Cheese for serving garnish
Instructions
- Remove Country Style ribs from the refrigerator, season with Kosher Sea Salt and fresh cracked black pepper and allow them to come to room temp for 30 minutes.
- Heat a large heavy-bottomed saucepan over med-high heat. Once hot add olive oil and heat for 30 seconds.
- Add seasoned Country Style Ribs fat side down into hot oil. Ribs will become stuck to the pan, while they brown. Allow to sit undisturbed, they will release from the pan once they brown. Flip and brown remaining sides. Remove from pan and set aside.
- Add the sausage and crushed fennel to the saucepan, stirring occasionally until browned.
- Add the onion to the sausage and fennel and cook till translucent about 5 minutes.
- Add crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds.
- Carefully add the dry red wine and deglaze the pan, stirring with a flat wooden spatula until the wine has reduced slightly about 2 minutes. and all of the browned bits have lifted from the bottom of the pan.
- Add the rest of the ingredients, hand-crushed whole tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, Parmesan Cheese rind, basil, bay leaves, oregano, sugar, Kosher Sea Salt, and fresh cracked black pepper.
- Return the Country Style Ribs back to the sauce and bring to a simmer over med-low heat. Simmer 6-8 hours uncovered, stirring occasionally.
Notes
- Prep time is approximate.
- The sauce will store safely in the refrigerator up to 3 days.
- For prolonged storage allow the sauce to cool completely. Store in freezer-safe containers or heavy-duty freezer bags, the sauce will maintain its best quality up to 6 months.