Broken meat gravy

Prep: 40 minutes Cook: 2 ½ hours Makes: 16 servings

This recipe for a pork and tomato pasta sauce, which the family calls “broken meat gravy” for its chunks of pork, comes from Catherine Roti.

4 tablespoons olive or canola oil

3 pounds ground pork

2 teaspoons salt

2 teaspoons garlic salt

1 teaspoon black pepper

2 cans (28 ounces each) tomato puree (such as Dei Fratelli)

1 teaspoon dry oregano

4 good-size leaves fresh basil

2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste

1 Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the pork. Cook, stirring and breaking up the pork into chunks, to brown the pieces. Add the salt, garlic salt and black pepper. Keep cooking and stirring until all the meat has browned.

2 Add the tomato puree and 2 cans water, using one of the tomato cans. All of the meat should be covered. Add oregano and basil. Cook at a nice rolling boil, 1 1⁄2 hours.

3 Taste for seasoning, adding a little more garlic salt or oregano if needed. Add tomato paste; cook another 1⁄2 hour. Keep stirring so the sauce doesn’t stick.

Nutrition information per 1⁄2 -cup

serving: 132 calories,8 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 28 mg cholesterol, 6 g carbohydrates, 3 g sugar, 9 g protein, 474 mg sodium, 3 g fiber