Low-and-Slow Meat Sauce
By: Cynthia Furey
Published: Sunday, February 21, 2010 - 12:40pm

Ingredients




1/2 pound ground beef
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 cup onion, minced
1/4 cup carrot, minced
1/4 cup celery, minced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 3/4 cups (about 14 ounces) crushed Italian tomatoes
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 teaspoon oregano
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon butter
Salt and pepper, to taste

Preparation

1 In a 3-quart pot over medium-high heat, brown the ground beef. Remove from pot and drain. Set aside. 2 Add olive oil, onion, carrot, celery and garlic to pot and sweat for 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, or until tomato paste darkens in color. (This will deepen its flavor.) 3 Add red wine to pot and use wooden spoon to scrape any bits of fond that may be stuck to the bottom of the pot. Let wine reduce in half, about 3 to 4 minutes. 4 Add tomatoes, water, brown sugar, oregano, basil and ground beef. Bring sauce to boil, then reduce heat to low cover with pot lid slightly ajar so steam can escape. Simmer for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. Taste sauce and adjust seasonings to preference. Add heavy cream and butter to finish, and serve with fresh pasta noodles (recipe follows).

About


This Italian meat sauce borrows from its Bolognese sibling by including cream. Garnish the plate with basil chiffonade and a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese, if you please. Both sauce and pasta recipes can be doubled when serving more than two.