Reply #15: Try cooking the sausage on the side. [View All]

[Gormy Cuss]

My Italian-American friends don't cook the meat in the 'gravy.' They brown the meat and cook the sauce using the same pan, and may throw in one chop for flavor, but the sausage, meatballs, and other meats are fully cooked separately. That makes it easier to minimize the greasiness and the meat has better texture. The meat can go back in the pot for the last 30-60 minutes or can be added at the table.

For cutting tartness, you need to play around with that each time because your tomatoes may vary in acidity. Salt may help. My mother used to put a chunk of carrot into the sauce to sweeten it when needed (the carrot is fished out and discarded before serving.) I'm also from the school of thinking that a splash of wine adds a nice depth of flavor.

H2S explained marinara to us. Maybe next he'll explain the meaning of putanesca, another quick red sauce with red pepper and capers and olives ;)