Modern Meat Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Ham fat, diced (Can substitute with olive oil or bacon fat)
• 1 medium Onion, finely chopped
• 1 stalk Celery stalk, finely chopped
• 1 medium Carrot, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons Fresh parsley, chopped
• 0.5 pound Ground beef
• 0.25 cup Red wine
• 1 tablespoon Tomato paste
• 0.5 cup Water (For diluting tomato paste)
• 28 ounces Canned crushed tomatoes (Alternative to fresh tomatoes)
• 0.5 teaspoon Salt
• 0.25 teaspoon Black pepper

Instructions

1. 1Finely chop the onion, celery, carrot, and parsley. Dice the ham fat.
2. 2In a large pot or Dutch oven, render the ham fat over medium heat. Add the ground beef and cook, breaking it up with a spoon, until well browned on all sides. Season with salt and pepper.
3. 3Add the chopped onion, celery, and carrot to the pot and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.
4. 4Pour in the red wine and cook, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot, until the wine is mostly absorbed, about 3 minutes.
5. 5Stir in the tomato paste and water (or the canned crushed tomatoes). Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for at least 30 minutes, or up to 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Add parsley in the last 10 minutes of cooking.
6. 6Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed. Serve hot over pasta, polenta, or other dishes.