Cold winters' night....twinkling lights all over from the Holiday decorations.
Maybe looking for a dinner to warm your hearts after a day of trimming
the tree, Holiday shopping, or having friends and family over to just  cele-
brate the good times...not enough of that these days, I'm just as guilty.
The stresses of  life in the big city now are ginormous...so, what's the
remedy..slow down...here's a meal that takes some prep, but not much.
It cooks long and slow, so you can relax (or not) and enjoy those family
members or friends while celebrating good things.  The old classic I'm
referring to in the title is simply the "Sunday Gravy or Sauce" (don't start
on me all you Italian-Americans out there, i called it both) with a few twists
in the recipe to give you those old school flavors.   I've highlighted a new
meat (to me anyway) that I spotted in the meat section the other day.  It
was a Beef Shin, not a big shank, but an Osso Bucco like cut of beef, about
1 1/2 thick, with a big ol'marrow bone in the center...HITTING THE LOTTO
HERE...ok, let's cook.

For 6 people I would go with 2 shins.  Pat the meat dry with paper towels and rub a cut clove of
garlic over both sides.  Then season it well with lots of kosher salt and cracked black pepper.
In a heavy sauce pan, sear the meat in olive oil, about 8 minutes on the first side, make sure it
looks like above pic.  Then turn it and sear another 5 minutes.  Dice 2 medium yellow onions and
add to the oil.  Lower the heat and saute' the onions till translucent (i.e. soft not burned).  Deglace
(fancy culinista word for adding a liquid to the pan to loosen all the tasty bits on the bottom, it helps
to create a flavor base for the sauce) the pan with 1/8 cup balsamic vinegar.  The balsamic adds
a sweetness to the sauce and enhances the beef.  Let this simmer for about 5 minutes.  Then add
my favorite, 2 cans of San Marzano Tomatoes, crushed with your hands...and blend well.  Taste
for seasoning, salt and pepper, pinch of sugar..PINCH of sugar, like 1/4 tsp.  It should just be
added to balance the acidity of the tomatoes, not turn your sauce into a dessert syrup.  Add 1 can
of water, and 4 torn basil leaves.  Set this on  medium/simmer, cover, and let it cook for about 2 hours.  Then
remove the cover, and let it simmer for 20 minutes more.  Check the meat now..If you can push your
finger through the meat with NO resistance, it's done.  If not, simmer another 15 minutes.  The meat
should fall apart, like a brisket would.  Serve the sauce over your choice of pasta with Pecorino, or
Parmigiano,,your choice again.  Then, serve the meat with a green vegetable or salad as the second
course. I used the sauce one night, and then had the meat  the next night as a whole new meal.
The basic tomato sauce and pasta thing has a myriad of options...i'll help you keep discovering
them..

See how the meat falls apart, the shin has the right amount of meat to fat, and it added
tremendous flavor to the sauce without making it greasy.  Maybe the balsamic helped
with that...in any case, try it out..