South Philly Red Gravy Recipe from Philly Food Girl

The Story

It was August 2013 and I’m standing in the kitchen of a very popular South Philly Italian restaurant, Villa di Roma. I had just moved to Philadelphia from Kansas a few months before and my intro class in culinary school was taking a tour of the kitchen. I’m listening to the owner talk about the intricacies of how this tiny kitchen runs for such a high volume restaurant and he points to the biggest tilt kettle I’ve ever seen and says, “This is where the gravy is made.” Now at this point, I am utterly confused. Why is an Italian restaurant making gravy and why do they need to make such big batches of it? I ignorantly ask, “Do you serve breakfast too? Gravy like for biscuits and gravy?” The whole class burst into laughter.

The Inspiration

I have witnessed more than a few arguments about gravy in the 2 years I’ve lived in Philadelphia. Those who passionately say that anything served over pasta is called gravy, those who say that it’s only called gravy if there is meat in it, and those who aren’t Italian saying that gravy is only the white or brown stuff you serve over fried chicken and everything else is sauce. But during all of these arguments, it has become clear to me that red gravy is a kind of soul food. People have passionate opinions about gravy and they make it for the people they love the most. In thinking about our February theme of pampering our special someone’s, I wanted to tell the story of Sunday gravy and highlight the love put into this dish.

I invited Kass of Philly Food Girl over to my house to teach me how to make her Sunday gravy. Kass’ blog personality, Philly Food Girl, has quickly become a local celebrity over the last year. Her blog celebrates her “love affair with food” and all things Philly food related. She describes that most of her memories are focused on the food they were centered around.  “I don’t recall the size or color of the pot but I know the distressed and slightly burned wooden spoon my mother used to make a pot of gravy and I can tell you that I burnt my mouth every time I broke off a piece of bread to dunk in, just for a taste.”

Kass and I have been friends over social media for some time, but the Sunday she came over to teach me how to make gravy was our first time meeting in person. There aren’t too many people that you can invite into your home the first time meeting them and feel completely comfortable. Kass is that kind of person. She is bubbly, friendly, and warm. She has a positive energy about her that draws you in and makes you want to listen to every single word of her story. And, by the way, she is a great story teller.

We spent the afternoon drinking prosecco  and making gravy together. She told me stories about her family and their traditions around food. I was drawn in by her and her undeniable passion for food. She puts love into her food and I can especially see how connected she felt to this dish that is so traditional to her.

VRAI Magazine: I really don’t know anything about authentic Philly gravy so I’m excited watch and learn from you how to make it.

Kass: Some people call it sauce some people call it gravy. I call it gravy if it has meat in it. Gravy will usually include pork and beef and sometimes veal.

I was born in Delaware County and lived there until I was about 9. Then I moved to West Chester, PA and lived there for over 20 years so I consider West Chester my home. I currently live in Delco, as this is where my son goes to school and it’s closer to work (I work in Center City). It is a very blue collar, nitty gritty Philly, kind of suburb. My local butcher, Colonia Meat Market, happens to offer what’s called a “Gravy Pack.” It’s the only place I know that sells a Gravy Pack, but there may be others out there. I happen to think it’s genius because you don’t always need a ton of meats, so this happens to be the perfect portion size. It has a piece of beef, a piece of pork, and hot & sweet sausage. And because we aren’t going to make meatballs, I got more sausage. A lot of people put meatballs in their gravy. I sometimes make meatballs (with beef, pork, veal) but not usually. I don’t think my meatballs are the best and they’re not something I really crave nor are they my favorite, so I’m just as happy eliminating them altogether. I know this sounds blasphemous!

I also brought you Locatelli cheese. It is my end all be all. My mom always kept this exact container of Locatelli cheese in our refrigerator at home growing up. It’s a little bit stronger than Parmesan and I just love it. My son calls it “spaghetti snow.” And we had this spoon that my mom always used for the Locatelli, and now I have a Locatelli spoon. Literally, it’s a spoon only for the Locatelli cheese.

VRAI Magazine: So is bolognese not a word you ever use for this?

Kass: No. Because bolognese is something completely different. Bolognese starts with mirepoix (onions, carrots, celery) red wine, the end result is almost like a thick chili. This is different. You’ll see.

VRAI Magazine: Tell me more about the tradition of Sunday gravy. Is this a thing in pretty much all Italian households in South Philly?

Kass: Yes. It’s traditional for South Philly Italians to put a pot of gravy on in the morning on Sunday and it cooks all day and then people just come by all day long and eat. And I’m not from South Philly, but it’s kind of like that local Italian, South Philly, even New Jersey area tradition that Sunday is the day you spend with your family. My mother is Italian and my grandfather was from Italy. And since my mother was sort of the one who ran the household that’s kind of my frame of reference.

Italians always joke that if someone stops by the house they are like, “Oh, just let me put a little snack on.” And the next thing you knew there is chicken cutlets and meatballs and all this food everywhere. I actually just learned that old school Italians would count how many people were coming and each person was an egg. So when they would make homemade pasta that’s how they knew how much to make. They would make big batches of chicken cutlets, fried eggplant, etc, and when they’re done cooking, that’s it for the day. Some goes into the refrigerator, and a lot goes into the freezer for if someone comes over. So that’s traditionally what people do. I always have gravy in my freezer.

[To start the gravy] you need a large stock pot and heat enough Extra Virgin Olive Oil to coat the bottom of the pan. The meat obviously has fat in it so you don’t need very much. Season your meat with salt and pepper on both sides and then we’re just going to sear it.

After the meat is browned, I add in the garlic and red pepper flakes to bloom for a minute and then add the tomato paste. Careful not to burn the garlic or it’ll get bitter. It’s really important to fry the tomato paste in the oil or it tastes metallic and uncooked. Frying it in the oil helps develop the flavor. Then the tomatoes, sugar (to take away any metallic taste from the cans) and the fresh herbs all go in and it just cooks all day long or for at least several hours. It’s completely edible after 2 hours or so, but the flavor gets richer the longer it simmers.

For the tomatoes, I brought crushed tomatoes and tomato puree. I usually use just whatever I have at my house; it’s never going to make a huge difference flavor-wise, it’s more about the texture. I don’t like the whole tomatoes, so I always have crushed tomatoes because I don’t like big chunks of tomato. But always San Marzano, they are the best and sweetest. But that is a personal preference thing (most people will tell you that you San Marzano tomatoes are the only thing to use for gravy). Everyone has their own definition of what is “authentic.” Some people have to use their own fresh plum tomatoes and they say that is the only way for it to really be authentic. But I say, you made it, it’s homemade. Make it the way you love it. It’s like Italian soul food.

VRAI Magazine: That’s it? That’s all there is to it?

Kass: That’s it! You thought it was going to be much more involved didn’t you? You just let it cook all day and check on it occasionally.

The other thing you should know is that I always have a fresh loaf of Italian bread on hand when I make gravy. I always break off the end heel of the bread, we call it the “scarpetta” which means “little shoe” in Italian,  and you use the bread to taste the gravy throughout the day. And I burn my mouth on it every single time. It isn’t authentic until I’ve burned my mouth tasting the gravy.

VRAI Magazine: How do you serve this? You have a whole piece of beef and a whole pork chop in there? How do you decide who gets what?

Kass: (laughing) So the pasta usually gets tossed in some of the gravy so it doesn’t stick together- You know not to ever put olive oil on your pasta right? It makes the gravy just roll right off the pasta. Then it’s put into a big bowl on the table “family style” with some of the meat arranged on top, or around the edge of the platter. The meat has been cooking all day and is very tender so you can easily break off a chunk of whatever you want. There’s always a bowl on the side with leftover gravy and whatever meat doesn’t fit in the bowl. If we made meatballs, these would be put in a bowl on the side too, with a few on top of the pasta. I happen to like my pasta with a lot of gravy, but everyone is different.

VRAI Magazine: Who do you cook Sunday gravy for?

Kass: My son. It’s just him and I so we often go over to my one sister’s house for Sunday dinner. She’ll call me and say “I just put on a pot of gravy” and we know that is an open invitation for dinner. My sister’s is kind of the hub for family dinners. My mom, sisters, niece and nephews, brother-in-law, cousins, or whoever happens to be in the area…. we all get together and it’s a very special time for me. For all of us, really.

VRAI Magazine: The discussion about gravy always seems to bring out very passionate feelings in people. Why do you think that is? What feelings to you have towards it?

Kass: I think everyone is loyal to things that spark happy memories for them. Food is a real binder in terms of bringing people together. It’s a communal and almost vulnerable event when you think about it. You’re nourishing your body, talking, sharing, and all partaking in the exact same thing at the exact same time. I think one of the best compliments you can get is “this gravy reminds me of my…..” Because in truth, that family member was someone important to them and you were able to bring up memories inside that person that likely haven’t been touched upon recently. That’s what I mean by comfort food: you are eating something that brings you comfort, regardless of whatever that “thing” is. Gravy just happens to be one of those major “things” that is really all heart.

And then she left me with this huge pot of gravy simmering away on my stove. It smelled amazing, but I had to wait all day long to really dive in. She also left me with a soft loaf of fresh Italian bread to have with the gravy for dinner. And in true gravy making tradition, I had to break off a few pieces and taste it throughout the day. I burned my mouth every single time.

The Takeaway

Philly red gravy truly is food filled with passion. While the process of putting together a pot of this hearty meal is simple, a great deal of love and tradition goes into it. It is a slow process of letting the flavors develop and a practice of patience. And in the end the results are a thick, rich gravy that that is incredibly complex in flavor yet simple enough to please all palettes. Gravy is the kind of food you make for the people you love. The sheer quantity of a batch calls for an open invitation to those you care about to stop by for a comforting meal. And while Sunday gravy is a tradition rooted in South Philly, it is a tradition open to anyone with a big pot and a special someone, or 10, to share it with.

Special thanks to Kass for collaborating me on this article while sharing such personal stories and teaching me how to cook this amazing dish! To find more recipes from Kass and to see what she’s doing in the Philly food scene check out her blog, Philly Food Girl. You can also find her on instagram and twitter @phillyfoodgirl.