Ingredients

• 5 carrots, chopped
• 6 stalks of celery, finely diced
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1lb of ground beef
• 1 tbsp of tomato paste (2 inches from a tube!)
• 1 cup of red wine
• 1 can of canned tomatoes
• 1 beef stock cube
• 1 bay leaves
• thyme
• olive oil
• salt
• pepper

Preparation

Dice celery and carrots. Heat ~2 tbsps of olive oil in a saute pan on medium-high heat. Add celery and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, lightly fry, turn down heat to medium, and let cook covered for 10 - 15 minutes.

Dice onion and garlic. Add to carrots and celery and mix everything together. Season with salt and pepper. Cook covered for an additional 10 - 15 minutes (until onions are soft).

Move around the vegetable mixture so that there is a gap in the center of the pan and turn up the heat to full. Add ground beef and brown it in direct contact with the pan. Add salt. As it browns, mix the beef with the vegetables.

Mix in a bit of tomato paste and a cup of wine. Mix everything together and let the wine cook off.

Add the can of tomatoes and a bit of water (1/2 can). Bring to rolling boil. Add a generous sprinkling of thyme, the beef stock, and bay leave. Turn down heat to a gentle simmer and cover.

Leave mixture to simmer for 45 - 90 minutes. Check regularly to add water and stir. There should always be some water to boil off until you are ready to serve.

Serve with side of pasta. Chunky pastas that hold the sauce are recommended! Cook pasta al dente for best results.