An Umbrian Rural Recipe: il Sugo del Contadino

In the years we worked the land in Umbria, the stamina of the farm women astounded me. Not only did they work the land with the men, before heading to the fields they rapidly prepared abundant multi-course meals for lunchtime for numerous farmhands. “Il sugo del contadino” (“the farmer’s sauce,” though it should be called “the farmwoman’s sauce”) was always a harvest-time favorite. Lots of hands would join in on the haying, on wheat harvests, on the grape and olive harvests so a hardy meal needed and of course, a tasty one (you’re feeding Italians!). And this dish can be prepared rapidly, freeing up the hosting farm woman to join in the farm tasks at hand.

Not only: this sauce is both primo and secondo: pasta with the sauce first and then the meats as main course.

Years ago, my farm woman friends would use whatever meats they had available to butcher: meats used were generally sausages (their own), chicken (even the heads, feet used to add flavor to the sauce), perhaps a bit of stew beef (though that was a “luxury” item), beef bones (which the butcher would give you for free).

Nowadays, with il benessere (“well-being”, i.e., a better income), Peppa and other farm friends make the sauce like this (note: this will vary, house to house and quantities here – as in any Italian dish – are approximate):

Il Sugo del Contadino

Ingredients (for 5 – 6)

stewing beef in large chunks – about a pound
2 chicken thighs, a back or two, neck, head (if you wish) – a couple chicken wings, too, if you like…
beef bones (if your butcher is happy to give you a couple!)
Umbrian (if possible!) pork sausages, 4 – 6 (your call!)
about 5 pork ribs
carrot
celery stalk
1 onion
3 garlic cloves
2 qts tomato sauce or 2 large cans Roma tomaotes
olive oil, extra-virgin only – q. b. (the most common annotation in Italian recipes: “quanto basta” or ”as much as you need”)
coarse salt, pepper q.b.
pepper, q.b.
red or white wine q.b.
rigatoni or penne pasta (1 lb. for every 5 persons)
pecorino, romano or Parmesan cheese, q. b.

Simmer the beef chunks and beef bones in wine (a cup or more?) for about 20 mins., then add ribs and continue simmering. (Note: these meats are simmered first as take longer to cook).

Add chicken pieces, sausages to the simmering beef and pork ribs and also tomato sauce, celery, onion, garlic, carrot – and add about 1 c olive oil.

Add pepper and coarse salt, q.b. (about 1- 2 tsp….and add more later if needed)

Simmer until all meats are tender and sauce at right consistency for serving on pasta.

Cook pasta in abundant salted boiling water and drain, setting aside some of the pasta brodo if needed to make sauce creamier.

Mix in the sauce, setting aside the meat to serve as a second course.

(N.B. An addition to the sauce? Add a few small meatballs to simmer when you add the chicken).

Sauce-on-the-pasta-and-ready-to-be-served

Peppa seasons the pasta with the sauce; Keegan approves

Serve pasta with generous amount of grated cheese. Buon appetito!

Note: Our farm women friends often started the sauce by sautéing diced carrot, onion, celery, garlic in olive oil – creating a soffrito – but I do not, preferring not to heat olive oil up when cooking.