My dad mentioned my great-grandma's 'Sunday Gravy' and said it's been 20 years since anyone made it.

He said the secret was a single, whole carrot simmered in the pot for hours to cut the acid, which she learned from her mother in Sicily, and now I feel like I need to find her old notes and try it myself, but where do you even start with something that faded?

2 comments

2 Comments

ivan23011d ago

My own family recipes are basically a game of telephone where half the steps got lost. I once tried to recreate my grandpa's meatloaf from a stained index card that just said "cook until done." The carrot trick is a solid lead though, that's the kind of specific weird detail that makes a dish real. I'd start by asking your dad every single thing he can remember her doing, even the small stuff like what pot she used. Then you just have to make a terrible version a few times until it starts to taste right, which is how all family cooking gets passed down anyway.

sams2511d ago

My friend's mom swore the secret was a cold cast iron pan.