CNN Anchor Anderson Cooper and Chef Anthony Bourdain would often cross paths to sample foods both familiar and exotic in locales near and far.
In this segment (which re-aired on Thanksgiving), Bourdain stopped by Cooper’s kitchen to cook up Sunday gravy, as the late chef — born and raised in Jersey — called it.
(Of course, many New York Italians across the Hudson say it’s Sunday sauce, but that’s a discussion for another time.)
Bourdain told a familiar story of how impoverished southern Italian immigrants, from places like Sicily and Naples, had newfound access to economy pieces of meat — “the tough bits,” as they were called — which helped spark the origins of Italian American cooking.
And so, Sunday (fill in the blank) took off as families huddled around hot stoves in small kitchens to slow-cook ox tail, sausage and pork necks in tomato sauce until the flavors were married and the meats were tender.
Watch below for walkthroughs on Bourdain’s recipe:


