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For years I have loved making pasta on sunday nights. Its kind of my thing. Pasta was the first thing I made Christina when we first met (little did I know at the time she doesn't really like it) and I have made it a weekend staple. Whether or not it has anything to do with the fact that red wine ends up making its way to the table as well... I can't say. BUT, I do love a great pasta.

For a long time I always made sure to get sauces that didn't have any added sugar or tomato puree, but for the first time a few weeks ago I thought I would give it a go from scratch. Daunting - yes. Terrifying - yes. Delicious - yes. Worth it - Absolutely.

I think my trepidation came from the fact that italy is so well known for food that I felt that as a mere mortal (aka an American with little to no formal culinary education) it would be hard not to ruin the flavors or mess it up. But it was easier than I imagined and was an incredible final product. Trust the recipe and give it a shot. I recommend a Super Tuscan or Sangiovese with it. Good Luck!

Ingredients

• 2tbsp of butter, olive oil, and minced garlic (each)
• 1 large white onion, diced
• 1/2 cup of carrots and celery each, chopped and diced
• 1/2 cup of fresh italian parsley, chopped
• 1 1/4 lb mixture of ground lamb and beef (or just beef)
• 1c white wine
• 3 tbsp of tomato paste
• 1 tsp salt & pepper
• 4c beef broth
• 1lb fresh fettuccine or pappardelle noodles

Directions

Start by adding the butter, olive oil, garlic, onion, carrot, and celery into your pot on medium heat, stirring occasionally for 10-12 minutes until the onion is transluscent and the garlic is extremely fragrant. If it begins to brown before 10-12 minutes, reduce the heat and let simmer for the remaining time.

Stir in the meat and bring the heat back up to medium or medium-high. When the meat is all cooked, stir in the white wine and let simmer until mostly evaporated. Then, stir in your tomato paste, add the broth, salt, pepper, and add in 1/2 of your parsley reserving the other 1/2 to add fresh at the end.

Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer on low heat for about 2 hours while partially covered.

When the time has come, remove the sauce from the heat and top with your remaining fresh parsley. In a well salted pot, bring water to a roaring boil and add in your pappardelle or fettuccine being sure to follow the cookings instructions on the package. If you make the pasta from scratch, please share the recipe with us!

Toss in the pasta with your sauce and use tongs to thoroughly mix together. Serve immediately and top with shaved parmigiano-reggiano. Enjoy!

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