Tuscan Meat Sauce

SOURCE : 'The Tuscan Year' by Elizabeth Romer. This is a very simple meat sauce adapted from the delightful 'The Tuscan Year' by Elizabeth Romer. The sauce will be richer if you use a mixture of meats.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 4-6

Ingredients

• 1  medium onion
• 1  large carrot, peeled
• 1  celery, with leaves
• 3  sprigs Italian parsley
• 6  ounces ground beef or 6  ounces ground pork or 6  ounces  ground veal
•  mixed with some chopped bacon or  pancetta or   Italian sausage, split open
• 2⁄3-1 1⁄2 cup tomato puree or 2⁄3-1 1⁄2 cup fresh tomato, skinned and chopped
• 2  tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•  salt & freshly ground black pepper
• 1  lb spaghetti or 1  lb pasta

Directions

1. Finely chop the onion, celery, carrot and parsley.
2. In a frying pan on medium heat, heat up the two tablespoons of olive oil, add the chopped ingredients and allow them to soften.
3. Add the meat and mix everything together and cook over a gentle flame until the meat has changed color.
4. Add the tomato purée or ripe, diced tomatoes. (Less tomato lets the meat flavor come through strongly; more tomato gives a more 'blended taste').
5. Simmer gently for half an hour and season to taste with salt and black pepper.
6. If the mixture is too dry add a little more olive oil or tomato.
7. Never add water.
8. Cook the pasta, drain and pour into warm a bowl.
9. Add the meat sauce, stir, and serve. Parmesan cheese is optional.
10. Note:
11. You can make this sauce substituting mushrooms for the meat: about 6 oz. fresh mushrooms or 1 oz. of dried porcini mushrooms (soaked for 1 hour).
12. Both these sauces are excellent with pasta and polenta.
13. Serves 4 - 6.