Traditional Pasta Sauce

Traditional Italian pasta sauce made with fresh tomatoes

• Ready In: 2 hrs
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• 125  ml olive oil
• 3  small red onions, chopped
• 2 -4  garlic cloves, chopped (alternately, use 2 chopped shallots if you are sensitive to garlic)
• 1  handful fresh oregano or 1  marjoram
• 1⁄2 liter beef broth
• 18  ounces  tomato sauce. use pomodoro  passata, see instructions below
• 250  g  low fat ground beef or 250  g turkey
• 1  teaspoon sugar
• 1  teaspoon salt
• 1 1⁄2 lbs pasta, of your choice and parmesan cheese to taste

Directions

1. Pomodoro passata is passed sieved tomatoes. Make it yourself using a food mill and blanched, peeled ripe Roma tomatoes. You will be happy you did this. Using canned tomatoes is possible but the flavor just will not be the same.
2. Take a sauce pan and put the olive oil on low heat.
3. When it's hot but not smoking throw in the chopped unions and garlic or shallots. Add a handful of fresh Oregano (or Marjoram which is the tame version of the same family.).
4. Simmer until onions begin to lose their color.
5. Add the broth and simmer this all slowly until the onions and garlic are glacé. Add grounded beef.
6. Now power up the stove to med-high and sauté this until the meat is cooked.
7. Stir constantly - do not stop stirring.
8. With the fire still high add the tomatoes and stir it all together. Keep stirring until it starts to boil, then turn down the stove to low. Add 1 tablespoon of sugar and salt and stir.
9. Your tomato sauce should give of a yeasty odor at this point. This is what you are seeking.
10. Let the sauce simmer on low heat, stirring occasionally.
11. It's done when the yeasty odor is gone. This should take about 1 hour.
12. Now boil your pasta in well-salted water. Drain and return to the pot. Add sauce (not too much, it's not pasta soup) and grate some good Parmesan on top.
13. Eat as soon as it comes on the table. Add salt and pepper if you choose.
14. In Italy you eat pasta when it comes and you do not wait for the rest to be served. Not even the Queen of Sheba is allowed to ruin your pasta.
15. Drink a good red wine with it and be sure never to drink wine when you eat salad. It's embarrassing.