Meat Sauce for Lasagna

3 pounds lean ground beef
1 pound lean ground pork
2 pounds lean ground veal
The beef, pork and veal should be ground together twice.
1 pound fresh Italian sausage, casing removed (optional)
6 tablespoons olive oil
6 tablespoons margarine
2 large onions, chopped
4 large cloves garlic, minced
4 ribs celery with leaves, minced
2 large carrots, grated
6 tablespoons fresh minced parsley leaves
3 bay leaves
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons dried basil or 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
2 tablespoons sugar
Salt and lemon pepper to taste
1 (28-ounce) can Italian tomatoes
4 (16-ounce) cans Hunts tomato sauce
2 (6-ounce) cans tomato paste
1 (28-ounce) empty tomato can of water
1 1/2 cups dry red wine (Chianti or burgundy)
1 pound fresh mushrooms, thickly sliced

In a large pot (8-quart Dutch oven) thoroughly brown meats in olive oil and margarine, breaking up meats with a fork.

Add onion, garlic, celery, carrots, parsley, bay leaves, spices, sugar, salt and lemon pepper to taste. Blend with meats and saute until all vegetables are soft. (Approximately 10-15 minutes.)

Stir in tomatoes, sauces, paste, water and wine. Blend well. Simmer on low heat 3 hours (stirring frequently).

Add thickly sliced mushrooms and continue to cook another hour. (Add water as necessary, however sauce should cook down to a nice thick consistency.)

Cool and refrigerate overnight. Remove any excess "fat."

When ready to assemble lasagna, heat sauce over low fire about 1 hour, stirring constantly.