Mom and all of the family growing up called it gravy. Didn't matter if there was meat in it or not, the red sauce was always called gravy. Actually, it referred to the whole meal. If someone was coming over it was "I'll throw on a pot of gravy". That was ...the gravy, with meatballs, sausage and sometimes bracciole or pork, the pasta (whatever Mom wanted to make that day), a big salad OR antipasta (again, whatever Mom felt like making), loaves of Italian bread, and probably some cookies or tiramisu for dessert. Moved to Florida and met some friends at work from NY and when she said "throw on a pot of gravy", I laughed because it was like "home". They have been my good friends and Florida family for 15 years. So...I'm from Philly, they're from NY. I think it's something our Grandmothers always said, and mine were from Italy. I always remember hearing gravy, not sauce. And, as I'm typing, I'm thinking. We really didn't do a lot of brown gravies growing up, so there was no mix up there, we knew gravy was pasta...or, macaroni, yes, whatever the shape! More often that not, Mom just said macaroni...hahaha!! Funny stuff....good remembering.
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