I Dream of Gravy

I few weeks back, I was sitting at the front desk at work for an hour.  Usually this is a boring, boring time when I either catch up on work or, in the rare case when there isn't a lot pending, flip through magazines.  On that particular day I happened upon an issue of Esquire and...THIS:

The most beautiful pasta sauce/gravy I've ever seen.

I swear, I think I sat and stared at that very picture (which, to paint a clearer image for you, was an entire page) for minutes on end.  I may have drooled, I really don't know, everything else was a blur.  And I immediately became obsessed with the idea of making it myself.  Now, if only I could find an excuse to do so.  After all, it is *supposed* to serve 8 to 10 people and even though Rob and I are admittedly and unabashedly big eaters, even we can't pull that off by ourselves...

As soon as we decided to host another New Years Eve party, I knew I had found my opportunity.  In fact I think we were in the car and I did my usual "hopping up and down in my seat" routine as soon as we arrived at the conclusion that the party would go on.  And so my mouth watered in anticipation.

It just so happens that we have a meeting with the team who've been taking care of Rob's dad on Tuesday morning.  So we've planned to visit the Italian Market afterward in order to pick up the meats for the sauce - honestly, if you're going to pick up meat for an Italian gravy (don't let Rob know I called it that! for an Italian he has quite the aversion to that term), you have to go to the Italian Market.  End of story.  We also plan to have lunch at one of my favorite places even though I've been there maybe twice - Villa di Roma.  Hopefully not much has changed since the last time I was there, because that would be heartbreaking.  But that's not one of the places that changes very much, or at least that's the impression I've always gotten.

I am so looking forward to making this and can hardly wait to get to the market!