The "Gravy" of Sauces!!!

Last week I posted a spot which included making a Paleo Tomato sauce as part of my "week worth of cooking in one day" experiment.  The recipe was based on a "Sunday Gravy" sauce that had been introduced to my family MANY YEARS AGO. While I was preparing the sauce, I made a personal discovery/(EPIPHANY!) about the flavoring and quality of the finished product that I felt totally compelled to share!

Now, if you are an Executive Chef or an expert in Provincial Cooking, I apologize for this may just be basic info for you.  But, I have developed into quite a cook since my first kitchen foray in 1970 (Rhubarb Pie), and I was a bit excited about this technique, so here it is:

WHEN BROWNING MEAT THAT HAS BEEN TAKEN OFF A BONE, BROWN THE BONES FIRST!  IF THERE IS ANY MARROW AVAILABLE IN THE BONES YOU HAVE, GET THAT INTO YOUR PAN AND LET IT COOK TOO.

I did this over Medium-High heat, in a Big pot, with some Coconut oil as a browning agent.  For this sauce you will see I used a Beef Shank Bone(Awesome) and Spare-Rib tip bones.  I browned them together, and once the marrow got soft in the beef shank I scooped it out with a little spoon and put it in the pan.  I removed the bones and SAVED the Shank bone! (It is going back into the sauce while it simmers)

Then I browned the meat that I cut off the bones and removed it.  Don't over-cook the meat because it will break down and tenderize while the sauce is cooking on low heat.  I then saute'ed the veggies and spices until soft.  With the veggies still in the I Deglazed the pot with about a cup of Red Wine; broke up any little bits of brown goodness stuck to the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon.  I then put the meat back into the pot, added the shank bone and tomatoes.  Stirred, brought to a simmering boil, then put on low, covered and left alone for at least an hour and a half.  I slow-cooked this on the stove for about three hours, stirring every once in a while.  Before serving I pulled the Shank Bone and bay leaf out of the sauce.

Ingredients:

1 lb Beef Shank, removed from the bone and cubed, about 1 inch size

1 lb Flank Steak, cut ACROSS THE GRAIN FIRST then cubed, about 1 inch size

1 lb Spare Rib Tips, Removed from the bone (Tricky! But do-able),
or Southern Style boneless sparibs, cubed about 1 inch

1 lb Hamburger (I used 93-7 lean)

1 Green Bell Pepper, diced

1 Large Onion, diced

2 Stalks Celery, diced

3-4 cloves Garlic, smashed and diced fine

1 Small package Baby Bella Mushrooms, chopped

Two 28 oz cans whole tomatoes, crushed by hand

One 28 oz can Diced tomatoes

1 T Rosemary, chopped fine

1 T Basil, chopped fine

1/2 T Oregano

1 T (or more, to taste) Black Pepper

1 Bay Leaf (Optional, I just like it in Red Sauces)

Put all this good stuff together like I described above, and serve with Spaghetti Squash.

Enjoy the smell of your kitchen while you are cooking this, and above all,

EAT WELL, AND BE HEALTHY!