Recipe: Giusi's Ragu (meat sauce with sofrito, The Tuscan Sun Cookbook)

GIUSI'S RAGU

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound ground lean beef
1 pound ground pork
2 Italian sausages, casings removed
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves (or 1 teaspoon dried)
1 to 2 cups red wine (as needed), divided use
1 cup soffritto (recipe follows)
2 tablespoons tomato paste
16 to 20 tomatoes (or 2 cans 28-ounces each whole tomatoes), juice included, chopped

Pour the olive oil into a 4-quart heavy pot with a lid. Over medium-high heat, brown the meats, breaking up the sausage with a wooden spoon, about 10 minutes.

Add the salt, pepper, thyme, and 1 cup of the red wine. After the wine has cooked into the meat, about 10 minutes, add the soffritto, and stir in the tomato paste and tomatoes. Bring the sauce to a boil, and then lower to a quiet simmer. Partially cover, and continue cooking for 3 hours, stirring now and then. Along the way, add the remaining cup of wine if you think the sauce is too dense.

SOFFRITTO
Makes 1 cup

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 yellow onion, minced
1 carrot, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 handful flat-leaf parsley, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Saute the ingredients for the soffritto in a small saucepan over medium-low heat until they begin to color and turn tender, 5 to 7 minutes.

Makes 10 servings
Source: The Tuscan Sun Cookbook by Frances Mayes and Edward Mayes