Makes 4 main course servings.
This sauce is as an all year favorite of mine that I keep in the freezer to have on hand. You can use any shape pasta.
INGREDIENTS:
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 carrots, finely chopped
¾ cup dry red wine
1 pound chopped meat, a blend of ½ pound veal and ½ pound beef
26.46 ounce carton of chopped tomatoes (Pomi)
1 tablespoon tomato paste, double concentrated
1 cup loosely packed flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound imported rigatoni, or any other shaped pasta
PREPARATION:
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan.
Add the vegetables and sauté over low heat for about 5 minutes. Add the meat and stir until the color of the meat changes.
Add the wine, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to a boil over high heat, lower the heat and simmer covered for about 1 hour, stirring from time to time. Add the parsley and season to taste with salt and pepper.
In a large pot bring 3 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Add 1 tablespoon salt and the rigatoni. Stir and boil briskly, uncovered for 7 minutes. The pasta should be VERY al dente. It will continue cooking in the hot sauce.
Combine with the hot sauce and season to taste.
NOTE:
I chop the vegetables in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. The onions and garlic can be chopped together and the carrots separately. Please quarter the vegetables first.