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Melillos Gravy

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BrianW

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Melillos Gravy

by BrianW » Tue Dec 01, 2009 5:38 pm

Does anyone have the Recipe for Michelles Red Sauce/Gravy of the greatly-missed Melillos fame?

Thanks

Brian W
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by BrianW » Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:27 pm

Hi AnneMarie,

I wished I had recorded the old SLC episode at Melillos where Michelle revealed how it was made, all my current attempts are worthless and weak (cue the Twisted Sister music). Does anyone have a favorite brand of canned tomato product they suggest now that the local growing season is past?

TIA,
BW
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Deb Hall

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Deb Hall » Tue Dec 01, 2009 11:51 pm

Brian,

I spend the money for real San Marzano tomatoes when fresh are out of season. I think they are worth the cost in Italian recipes where the you can really taste the difference- I stick to Hunt's Organic or Muir Glen for things like chilis and stews.

Deb
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by BrianW » Wed Dec 02, 2009 1:13 am

Since I rarely do the grocery shopping, is that brand common to the chain grocers or Dolls or something I need to order?
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John Hagan

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by John Hagan » Wed Dec 02, 2009 9:00 am

BrianW wrote:Since I rarely do the grocery shopping, is that brand common to the chain grocers or Dolls or something I need to order?


San Marzano is not a "brand" but a variety of plum tomato. You can find them find most anywhere. To be labeled a San Marzano they have to be grown in that region of Italy.The tomatoes are picked at near full ripeness and processed the same day. I also agree that canned is the best route to go this time of year,especially if you didnt take the time to can your own tomatoes. One other thing to note would be that it is a common practice to see some cans labeled "San Marzano Style" tomatoes. These are still good plum tomatoes,just not grown in the real San Marzano soil.
Our gravy goes something like this..
cook down onion in the Le Creuset,add garlic when onion is almost done,deglaze with a little Chianti
dump in one quart of home canned tomatoes(we will cook down fifty pounds until it reduces to 7 quarts)
maybe a shot of tomato paste
add uncooked well seasoned beef/pork meatballs
season and cook
The tall one wants white toast, dry, with nothin' on it.
And the short one wants four whole fried chickens, and a Coke.
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Laura T

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Laura T » Wed Dec 02, 2009 5:26 pm

They have the good canned tomato products at Burger's Market!
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by BrianW » Thu Dec 03, 2009 10:53 am

Found them at Meijer last night, can is labeled as being certified as being the real deal so we'll see!
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Leann C

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Leann C » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:11 pm

No luck on the sauce yet, but I just found Michelle's meatball recipe (note: links to the Courier-Journal)
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/fe ... chive.html

Mama Melillo's meatballs

Michelle Melillo-Clem added this note: "This is the recipe I use at Melillo's because some people are squeamish about veal or pork. However, at home, I use 3 pounds ground chuck, 1 pound ground veal and 1 pound ground pork." I think all ground meat recipes -- meatloaf as well as meatballs -- are tastier if made with a combination of meats.

Also, Melillo-Clem makes rather large meatballs -- quarter pounders. I decided to make somewhat smaller ones for the photo shoot. This much meat makes a lot of meatballs -- 20 quarter-pounders. I made 48 1-inch meatballs before I stopped and froze the remainder. You can reduce the recipe by half (using 2 eggs and 1 egg yolk) or make the whole recipe and freeze the meatballs you can't use in one meal.

5 pounds ground chuck
5 eggs
2 cups Romano cheese
4 cups seasoned bread crumbs
3 heaping tablespoons fresh garlic
5 heaping tablespoons oregano
5 heaping tablespoons basil
Salt and pepper

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Use your hands to make sure all ingredients are well-blended. Roll meat mixture into balls, and fry in skillet until browned on all sides. Cooked meatballs can be frozen up to one month.

Drop browned meatballs into simmering sauce up to 2 hours before eating to finish cooking.
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Leann C » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:15 pm

I don't know if this is the actual Melillo's sauce recipe. However, it was listed right between the recipe for Melillo's Italian Cream Cake and Melillo's Meatballs.
http://www.courier-journal.com/blogs/fe ... chive.html

Simple tomato marinara sauce

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 small green bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 small red bell pepper, cored, seeded and diced
1 large clove garlic, peeled and minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red wine
1/2 teaspoon dried hot red peppers
2 teaspoons dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper

In a large pot, heat olive oil until shimmery. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic. Cook, stirring, over medium heat until vegetables are softened. Add the crushed tomatoes, and rinse out the can with a half-cup or so of red wine. Add that to the sauce. Add the hot pepper flakes and herbs. Bring to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper. Simmer about a half-hour.

Serves 4.
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Brad Keeton » Thu Dec 03, 2009 4:26 pm

BrianW wrote:Hi AnneMarie,

I wished I had recorded the old SLC episode at Melillos where Michelle revealed how it was made, all my current attempts are worthless and weak (cue the Twisted Sister music). Does anyone have a favorite brand of canned tomato product they suggest now that the local growing season is past?

TIA,
BW


I found the riceballs on the SLC website: http://www.louisvillehomezone.com/recip ... ipes&id=37

The meatballs, and one or two other things are listed too, but no sauce.

You might contact SLC. I'm sure they keep archives of all shows - they might give or sell you a copy of that show for a few bucks. Here's the contact page: http://www.louisvillehomezone.com/conta ... me=contact
"I don't eat vegans. They're too bony."
-Alton Brown
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BrianW

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by BrianW » Thu Dec 03, 2009 11:15 pm

Very Interesting! I would like to know what wine she used, or some of you might recommend (total wine know-nothing here).
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Re: Melillos Gravy

by AmyBK » Sun Dec 06, 2009 1:33 pm

I was just at Costco (known in my family as "Our Lady of Perpetual Wholesale," since we always seem to be there on Sundays...) and picked up 2 enormous cans of Nina brand San Marzano tomatoes for $3.79 each, 106 ounce cans. This thread inspired me to throw a vat of sauce on the stove today, and clean out the odds and ends of pork and beef out of the freezer.
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Re: Mama Melillo's Meatballs

by hugh.duguid » Sun Dec 10, 2017 5:43 pm

We ran up on the recipe in the Courier Journal some time ago.
We've made the meatballs using two pounds 93%lean beef and a pound of sweet Italian sausage.
After we make the balls, we put them on a cookie sheet and bake at 425 for 10 to 12 minutes.
We freeze what we're not using immediately.
In either case, we put them in a crockpot, covered with sauce, and simmer for several hours; longer if they're frozen.
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Robin Garr

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Re: Melillos Gravy

by Robin Garr » Sun Dec 10, 2017 6:55 pm

Thanks for the post, Hugh, and welcome to the forum! Chances are you know this, but Bill Melillo has a restaurant now, pretty similar to his wife’s old place. It’s Silvio’s, on Fairfax Ave just off Shelbyville Road near Trinity High School. Bill makes a bucket full of that marinara fresh every morning!

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