4 cloves garlic, crushed

1 bay leaf, fresh or dried

1/4 lb. pancetta, thick-cut, chopped into small bits

1/2 lb. bulk hot Italian sausage

1 lb. combined ground beef, pork and veal

1 medium carrot, peeled and finely chopped

1 rib celery, chopped

1 medium onion, chopped

1 C. good quality dry red wine

1 C. prepared beef stock, packaged in a box container or canned

2 cans chunky style crushed tomatoes (32 oz. each)

A handful of flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped

1/4 tsp. allspice or cinnamon (a couple of pinches)

Coarse salt and black pepper

2 lb. penne rigate, cooked to al dente

Grated Pecorino Romano cheese, as an accompaniment

Fresh, crusty bread, for mopping

 

Heat a deep pot over medium-high heat. Add oil, garlic, bay leaf and pancetta bits and brown for one minute. Add meats and brown and crumble them for five minutes. Chop carrot, celery and onions near the stove and add to the pot as you work. Cook vegetables with meat for five minutes and add wine. Cook for one minute; add stock and tomatoes to the pot. Stir in parsley, allspice or cinnamon and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Bring sauce to a boil, reduce heat to medium-low and cook 10-15 minutes minimum before serving. Reheated sauce only improves. Toss pasta (cook only as much pasta as you need at the time: half a lb. for every three people) with a couple of ladles of sauce to coat, then top bowl with extra sauce. Top pasta with lots of cheese and pass bread at the table. The sauce will cover up to two lb. of pasta.

 

 

Yield:

Calories:

Fat:

Fiber: