Day 1 Ingredients for meat sauce 2 T olive oil 1 medium onion, minced (1 cup) 1 carrot, peeled and GRATED (½ cup) 2 celery stalks, minced (½ cup) 2-4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
¾# or 12 oz ground beef 2 teaspoons dried basil 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon black pepper
2 T tomato paste 14-ounces crushed tomatoes 1 cups tomato sauce 1 cup water 1/4 cup/5 stems flat-leaf Italian parsley, chopped
DAY 2 Ingredients for spaghetti ¾# spaghetti noodles 2T salt, for salting the water 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
Method
DAY 1 Method for sauce Sweating mirepoix: In your large stock pot, heat the olive oil, for 20 seconds, on 6/medium high heat. Add the onion, celery and carrots, stir to coat the veggies with oil then put the lid on the pot completely and turn the heat to 4/medium low to sweat. After 1 minute, remove the lid, allowing the condensation on the lid to drip into the pot, stir the veggies and make sure they are not burning. (If looking toasty, add 2T of water, stir and return the lid to the pot).
After 5 minutes of sweating the veggies add the garlic and continue sweating all veggies until the carrots are nice and soft.
Saute beef: Add the ground beef and saute over medium/4 heat. Stir frequently and break up any large lumps and cook until most meat is no longer pink, about 5 minutes.
Season and bloom the spices: Add the dried basil, the parsley, the salt and pepper, stir in. Give the basil and parsley about 3 minutes to hydrate/bloom and wilt.
Toast the paste: Add the tomato paste and stir to coat all veggies. Stir constantly for 1 minute until the tomato paste begins to darken, thicken and toast.
Simmer: Add the chopped tomatoes, the tomato sauce and the water, and bring to a simmer, then reduce to 3/medium heat. Place the lid AJAR on the pot (iIf you do not vent the pot the sauce will not thicken).
Low simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Store in a stainless steel container or plastic container and mark with green tape. Allow to cool before covering.
DAY 2 Now for the pasta Fill a medium pot, ¾ of the way with water and add the 2T salt. Bring water to a boil, add the noodles and simmer for about 13 minutes.
Reheat sauce in a large pan with ½ cup of water. Bring to a low simmer over low heat/3.
Assembling When the noodles have cooked, reserve ½ cup of pasta water then drain them well in a colander. Return drained noodles to the stock pot and add sauce quantity to your liking. Add 1-2T of pasta water and over low heat mix together.
