From Kingston to the kitchen: Bill Spadea’s secret to Sunday sauce

Another beautiful Sunday in the Garden State. The weather was perfect and it was a down day for me.

When I get rare downtime, to the kitchen I go!

Saturday morning, I took my mother-in-law to the Amish market on Route 27 in Kingston. It one of the best places to get any meat you are craving.

We settled on a selection of homemade sausages and boneless short ribs. Sunday after Mass, there was time to dig in and get the sauce going.

Spadea's Recipe

First step I prep the veggies for the sauce. Carrots, garlic and onions.

Then I pull a few anchovies, which is the secret to a savory sauce, the fish melt right in when sauteing the vegetables.

After prepping, it's time to salt and sear the short ribs. Since they were boneless and didn't have a ton of fat, I used beef tallow in the hot pan before adding the meat.

Once brown on all sides, remove the meat and set aside. Into the same pan goes the sausage, same drill, brown on all sides.

Remove the browned sausage and throw in the carrots and onions.

Add the anchovies, and once they melt in, add salt and pepper and some red pepper flakes, then add the garlic.

Give the garlic about a minute and then deglaze the pan with some red wine. Once it comes back to a strong simmer add a can of crushed tomatoes and a can of whole peeled tomatoes.

Get the sauce stirred and fully mixed and up to a simmer, then add back all the meat. Low, low heat to keep a few bubbles popping to the surface and stir every few minutes for the first 30.

I let it cook for about four hours this way stirring often. It's a labor of love, but the end result will be worth it.

Serve with your favorite pasta (al dente!) and top with grated Parmesan Reggiano and fresh basil.

Enjoy!

The post above reflects the thoughts and observations of New Jersey 101.5 talk show host Bill Spadea. Any opinions expressed are Bill's own.

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