Tomato Sauce for Pasta--With a Twist!

My husband made this sauce and I was absolutely floored. Not because he's not usually this good a cook (he's excellent) but because I have only ever had better sauce that was made by actual Italians in Italy. The special ingredient is Turkish red pepper paste, known as Biber Salcasi, which should be available at any Middle Eastern grocery--sorry if you have no such store, because this is a fantastic recipe!

• Ready In: 40 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  small onion, diced
• 1  carrot, peeled and shredded
• 2  garlic cloves, crushed
• 2  tablespoons butter
• 3  tablespoons olive oil
• 500  g ground beef
• 350  g crushed tomatoes
• 1 (400 g) can Italian-style diced tomatoes
• 2  tablespoons tomato paste
• 2  tablespoons  red pepper paste
•  oregano
•  basil
•  black pepper

Directions

1. Heat oil and butter in a medium saucepan.
2. Sautee onion and carrot on low until soft.
3. Add garlic, and fry for one or two minutes more.
4. Add ground beef and brown thoroughly.
5. Add crushed tomatoes and canned tomatoes, tomato paste and red pepper paste; simmer 20 minutes or until thickened.
6. Add fresh or dried basil and oregano and black pepper to taste.
7. Serve over short pasta like farfalle, penne or rotini.