Gui Eppolini’s Italian Gravy

Willie Hepworth

prep
30m
cook
6h
total
6h 30m
yield
1 stockpot

ingredients

  • 6 oz tomato paste (use two cans for thicker gravy)
  • 1 tbsp Diced garlic (or to taste)
  • 3 #10 cans whole, peeled tomatoes (blended, but don’t blend up too much, want to keep them thick), or use diced tomatoes
  • 1 tbsp honey, to taste
  • 1 onion - chopped (preferably red, as they cook up sweeter)
  • 1 pork neck or beef bone (country style pork ribs works well, but pork neck is the best, although hard to find)
  • Spices, to taste: salt, pepper, garlic powder (not garlic salt and YES! more garlic), oregano, sweet basil, and parsley
  • olive oil

instructions

  1. In stockpot heat up oil and toss in the pork bone. You can use frozen bones, just brown them longer before you put in onions and garlic.
  2. After browning for about ten or fifteen minutes put in onions to sauté, a few minutes later put in garlic. Sauté onions until translucent and garlic starts to get brown. Then add tomatoes.
  3. After the tomatoes cook for a bit put in the tomato paste.
  4. Stir and then put in spices while stirring.
  5. Bring to boil. Once boiling you lower heat to low-medium (hot enough for bubbling, but not boiling). After cooking for an hour put in the honey and stir in well. If gravy is really thick you can add some water. You want to cook for at least 4-6 hours this way in order to cook the gravy down. Don’t be afraid to add some water in order to cook for long period. The real secret to a good gravy is to stir, stir, stir, and then stir some more. You can add more spices to taste during cooking down the gravy.
  6. After cooking, let cool to room temperature then put into fridge and let sit overnight. Of course you can use gravy immediately, but after cooling in the fridge overnight the gravy acquires more flavor.