Simple Bolognese

Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, finelychopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and coarsely chopped

1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped

1 can tomato paste

1 pound ground chuck beef

1 C Cabernet Sauvignon

1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
2 bay leaves
1 tied bundle thyme
Salt(!) and freshly ground black pepper

1/4 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano

Directions - constantly stirring!!!!

In a large skillet heat the olive oil. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute over medium heat until the onions become very soft, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and sauté for 15 minutes or longer- until it is almost burnt (but not burnt!)

Raise heat to high and add the ground beef. Heavily salt the mixture in the pan at this time... Saute, stirring frequently and breaking up any large lumps and cook until meat is no longer pink, about 10 minutes, or more. you want the whole mixture brown, brown, brown.

Add the tomato paste and cook it until it blends well and starts to brown- 5-8 mins...

Add at least 1 C Cabernet sauvignon, blend well, scrape up bits from bottom of pan.

Add the tomatoes and enough water to cover meat completely and season with more salt, stirring.

Add bay leaves, thyme bundle, parsley and basil and cook over medium low heat until the sauce thickens. Reduce it down then add water, reduce it down, then add water. This will take approximately 1/2 hour, or so.

Take half of the bolognese sauce and put it in a large bowl and set aside.

Add the already cooked spaghetti noodles to the remaining sauce in the pan, and a ladle of the water the spaghetti noodles were cooked in, and toss and cook them together briefly- marrying the sauce, water, and noodles.

Finish bolognese with Pecorino Romano, and a light smattering of olive oil over the top.