Side Orders: Learning about tomato gravy

photo Anne Braly

Several months ago, I overheard a conversation between friends and my ears perked up. Sandy Zitkus was talking about tomato gravy. I'd heard of it before but, even as a born-and-raised Southerner, I'd never had it.

"In the South, tomato gravy usually has a thickener like browned flour. But among Italian Americans, tomato gravy is tomato sauce and there is no thickener, just a lot of meat," says food historian and cookbook author Damon Lee Fowler of Savannah, Ga.,

She adds that tomato gravy is better known in the North than here in the South.

So I asked for and received the recipe from Sandy not too long ago, gave it a try, and it's much more than a Southerner's typical tomato sauce. Sure, it starts out as a sauce, but then you add the meat ... lots of it. And, as it cooks, it thickens into an incredible sauce.

"I always add Italian sausage to the recipe and sometimes meatballs, too," Sandy says.

"First, I'm not a Hunt's tomato person," Sandy says. "I prefer Tuttorosso brand tomatoes and tomato sauce. Publix carries them. I love their peeled plum tomatoes. Cento San Marzano tomatoes are good, too.

"Second, I use two to three cans of whole tomatoes, chopped, along with the juice, and one to two cans of tomato sauce along with the water. And be sure to use the larger can of tomato paste.

"Third, two pounds of hot Italian sausage is good, but since I serve this to grandkids, I usually use one pound hot sausage and one pound of sweet Italian sausage. But there's something about the hot sausage that really adds to the flavor. I've also used a combination of ground beef and sausage which is also good.

"Last, but not least, I always add a lot of basil to my gravy. Can't imagine a tomato gravy/sauce without basil. Speaking of which, have you tried the frozen herb cubes? Dorot is the brand -- fresh herbs frozen in one-teaspoon cubes. I first found them at Trader Joe's a few years ago and now see that the Bi-Lo on Hixson Pike also carries them. The garlic cubes are great and convenient to keep on hand if you don't use garlic all the time. The basil cubes are also good. They also have cilantro, parsley and ginger cubes."

So here's the original recipe. I made it and served it with a green salad and crusty French bread. What a feast. I also used all of Sandy's suggestions and can't agree more with her choice of canned tomato products.

Meatballs in Tomato Gravy

2 pounds hot Italian sausage

1- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

2 onions, minced

1/2 bulb garlic, mashed

3 (29-ounce) cans tomato sauce

1 (12-ounce) can tomato paste

Salt and pepper, to taste

1 teaspoon oregano flakes

2 bay leaves

1- 1 1/2 pounds ground beef

1 pound ground pork

1 cup bread crumbs

1 large teaspoon minced garlic

1 small minced onion

Pinch of oregano

1 large teaspoon of grated cheese

1 egg (if dry, add another)

Olive oil

For the tomato gravy, heat olive oil -- just a little to cover bottom of pot -- in stockpot. Brown sausage in oil; add 1 minced onion and the garlic.

Add the tomato sauce plus a can of water for each can. Add tomato paste, scraping the can to get every bit.

Add salt and pepper, oregano and bay leaves and simmer for 1 hour.

For the meatballs, mix ground beef and pork, bread crumbs, minced garlic, the other minced onion, oregano, grated cheese and egg (if the mixture seems dry, add another egg). Shape into meatballs and add half to the gravy. Continue simmering for 45 minutes over low heat.

Bake the remaining meatballs in the oven at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes or until cooked through. Serve with tomato gravy.


TerraMae Appalachian Bistro will be the scene of a gathering of culinary minds as the restaurant hosts its Fall Guest Chef Dinner Tuesday at 6 p.m.

In addition to TerraMae's executive chef, Shelley Cooper, there will be three acclaimed chefs participating in creating the four-course dinner: Wally Joe of Memphis, and Ryan Kline and John Campbell, both of Asheville, N.C. These chefs share TerraMae's focus on international, organic, local and sustainable food.

Joe is the executive chef at Acre, one of Memphis' top restaurants. He's been featured in numerous publications, including Bon Appetit, Esquire and USA Today. He's also been seen on CBS' "Sunday Morning" and is one of 20 chefs chosen for Discovery Channel's "Great Chefs of the South." In addition, he became the first chef from the state of Mississippi to be invited to cook at the prestigious James Beard House in New York City.

Kline interned at the prestigious Biltmore Estate and is now executive chef at Buffalo Nickel in Asheville. Last year, he was named one "Asheville's Young Guns: Rising Culinary Stars" by the Asheville Citizen-Times.

Campbell, a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, is the pastry chef at Isa's Bistro in Asheville. His resume includes pastry chef at Blackbird and the Inn at Biltmore Estate, both in Asheville, and The Ritz Carlton at Amelia Island, Fla.

The cost for the dinner will be $65 per person. For tickets and more information, call 423-710-2925 or log onto www.terramaechattanooga.com. Wine is not included with the meal but master bartender Justin Stamper will have a special wine list for the evening; wines and cocktails will be sold a la carte.

Contact Anne Braly at abraly@timesfreepress.com.

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