re: Whats your secret to a good meatsauce?

knowing my limitations

Prego

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If you're in a pinch and want to use a jar sauce, try Rao's.

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Rao's tomato basil is awesome

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How do you make it?

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1 lb ground pork
1 lb ground veal
1/3 cup olive oil
2 tbsp butter
1 onion finely chopped or minced
2 carrots finely chopped or minced
1 celery stick minced or chopped
2 cloves of garlic
red wine (I use Chianti Classico)
3 blanched and peeled tomatoes

Brown the celery, carrot, onion and garlic in the olive oil and butter until browned. Add the pork and veal. Add 1 cup of red wine and stir until it evaporates.
Add the peeled tomatoes. No need to core them. They're going to cook down into nothing.

Cook at a simmer once the meat is browned. After about 2 hours I add another glass of red wine and salt to taste.

After about 3 hours I add a final cup of red wine and some oregano and thyme. The recipe doesn't call for it but it adds some depth. Should be done after about 4 hours. You'll know by the taste. It will be extremely flavorful and rich.

I usually don't have to add moisture because the meat doesn't get strained but once in a while I'll have to add a cup or so of water to moisten after about 3 hours.

ETA: The recipe calls for the vegetables to be minced but I don't worry about it because it cooks for so long. Finely chopped is just fine.

Also, be sure to taste as you go. It's amazing how the flavors pop as it cooks longer.

This...

Rigatoni with Beef and Onion Ragu
Servings: 6 to 8

Ingredients:

1 (1- to 1 1/4-pound) boneless beef chuck-eye roast, cut into 4 pieces and trimmed of large pieces of fat
Kosher salt and pepper
2 ounces pancetta, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 ounces salami, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small carrot, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small celery rib, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 1/2 pounds onions, halved and cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons minced fresh marjoram
1 pound rigatoni
1 ounce Pecorino Romano cheese, grated (1/2 cup), plus extra for serving

Directions:

WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS: This simple 16th century ragu of slow-cooked onions and beef is deeply flavored and comforting, but we had to tweak it slightly to make it work in a modern context. Originally, the recipe made two meals or courses: a rich, savory sauce for pasta and a dish of cooked beef. In our version we shred the meat and add it back to the sauce for one substantial meal. To eliminate the need for intermittent stirring and monitoring during cooking, we move the action from the stovetop to the oven. We add tomato paste for color and to boost the flavor, and we make sure to keep the mixture wet enough to extract maximum flavor from the onions. To encourage the formation of a sauce that clings to the pasta, we vigorously stir them together, so that the starch from the pasta adds body to the sauce.

1. Sprinkle beef with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper and set aside. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees.

2. Process pancetta and salami in food processor until ground to paste, about 30 seconds, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add carrot and celery and process 30 seconds longer, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Transfer paste to Dutch oven and set aside; do not clean out processor bowl. Pulse onions in processor in 2 batches, until 1/8- to 1/4-inch pieces form, 8 to 10 pulses per batch.

3. Cook pancetta mixture over medium heat, stirring frequently, until fat is rendered and fond begins to form on bottom of pot, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until browned, about 90 seconds. Stir in 2 cups water, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in onions and bring to boil. Stir in 1/2 cup wine and 1 tablespoon marjoram. Add beef and push into onions to ensure that it is submerged. Transfer to oven and cook, uncovered, until beef is fully tender, 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

4. Transfer beef to carving board. Place pot over medium heat and cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is almost completely dry. Stir in remaining 1/2 cup wine and cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Using 2 forks, shred beef into bite-size pieces. Stir beef and remaining 1 tablespoon marjoram into sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from heat, cover, and keep warm.

5. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large pot. Add rigatoni and 2 tablespoons salt and cook, stirring often, until just al dente. Drain rigatoni and add to warm sauce. Add Pecorino and stir vigorously over low heat until sauce is slightly thickened and rigatoni is fully tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Serve, passing extra Pecorino separately.

This is a version I put in the Recipe Book that works pretty good.

Shoot From the Hip Pasta Red Sauce

I'm wasting time before a lunch meeting, so I'll whip up a red sauce recipe. Here's something off the top of my pointy little head. Make the meatballs I posted in the Recipe Book. They are good. You can vary the meat type, but the portions are very nice.

12 oz Cento tomato paste
56 oz Cento crushed tomatoes
1 large or 2 medium yellow onions, fine diced
2 to 3 stalks celery, minced in the FP
2 carrots, minced in the FP
beef or vegetable stock, at least a quart
1 flat of anchovies, minced (just do it)
2 or 3 bay leaves
4 Tbs good olive oil
1/2 Tbs each dried thyme, oregano, and basil...adjust to taste as cooking
2 Tbs minced garlic
1/2 cup minced flat leaf parsley
1/2 Tbs crushed red pepper, adjust to taste
1 tsp black pepper, adjust to taste
salt , adjusted to taste
1/4 to 1/2 cup Parm cheese rind, or cheese
1/2 to 1 cup red wine

Procedure

1 Heat the olive oil and sauté the onion until translucent. Add the celery, carrots, and parm rind, if using. Add the herbs and bay leaves(if using dried) and the Parm cheese rind, if using). Sauté a few minutes to toast the herbs. Add the tomato paste, garlic and the anchovies. Go another 5 to 10 minutes on medium, scraping the pot, to get some color on the paste.

2 Add the crushed tomatoes, the wine, and enough stock to make it a soupy consistency. Add cheese if not using the rind. Leave the lid ajar, cut the heat to simmer, and continue for an hour if using browned, ground meat (which you just added). If using meatballs, add now and simmer for 2 to 3 hours. Add a bit more stock if needed, and adjust all seasonings to taste, with the addition of salt. Please taste the damn dish as it simmers...seasoning adjustments will need to be made.

3 Add the parsley during the last 5 to 30 minutes. This sauce formula is pretty damn good.
Source: OTIS2

Goat offals.

Get the goat bolognese at Compere Lapin and taste the magic.