Meat Sauce

This pasta sauce is delicious, Johns absolute favorite, but definitely labor intensive!

Here's what you'll need:

2 tbsp butter
4 tbsp olive oil
2 medium onions, finely chopped
4 tbs pancetta (unsmoked bacon), finely chopped
2-3 carrots, finely sliced
2-3 stalks of celery, finely sliced
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
12 oz 8% fat ground beef
12 oz reduced fat ground pork sausage
salt and pepper
1 1/3 cup red wine
1 cup milk
280z canned plum tomatoes, chopped (or squished with your fingers - that's what I do), with their juice
2 bay leafs
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves

And here's your 11 step plan

1. with a bit of oil, brown meat (season with salt and pepper) in big pot and then take out and set aside.

2. In the same pot, heat oil and butter. Add onion and cook over medium heat 3-4 minutes.

3. Add pancetta and cook until onion is translucent.

4. Stir in the carrots, celery, and garlic. Cook another 3-4 minutes.

5. While that is cooking finely finely chop up your ground meat until it's super tincy.

6. Add meat back to pot.
7. Pour in the wine, raise heat, and cook until liquid evaporates. 3-4 minutes.
8. Add milk and cook until liquid evaporates.
9. Stir in the tomatoes with their juice and the herbs. Bring sauce to boil

10. Reduce heat to low, and simmer uncovered for 1 1/2-2 hours.
11. Check seasoning before serving.

Now for the pasta. I'm sure you all know how to boil pasta, but here are our suggestions. After you put the pasta in the boiling water, add a big handful of salt. Here's my picture to show you I mean a BIG HANDFUL!

And...The most important thing to super yummy pasta is shorten the cooking time on your noodles. I mean if the box says 12 minutes, it's done in no longer than 6 minutes. For spaghetti, when it's still raw just barely in the middle drain and toss with sauce and by the time it hits your mouth it's perfect.