Hannah Twinkletoes ...

Pasta Sauce (continued)

Region of Origin: Originally the area around the Dale region but now it's a Shire staple	Donated by: Hannah Twinkletoes
Prep Time: 15-30 minutes assembly & 6-10 hours slow simmer	Servings: 6 Hobbits 10 Dwarves 15 Big People 15-20 Elves

Ingredients:

• 1½ pound of lean ground beef
• 1½ pound of ground pork, unseasoned
• 1½ pound of ground turkey, chicken or lamb
• 2-4 Tbsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2-3 young leeks, trim off the green and use only the white, very thinly sliced across the round (yes you can use onions instead if you finely dice them)
• 4-6 cloves of fresh garlic (I crush them and then finely mince them. It is possible to use roasted garlic that has been mashed to a paste but use an entire head if you choose roasted garlic.)
• 1 each: large red and large yellow roasted bell peppers with skins removed, diced
• 3 ounces of finely chopped black olives
• ½ Cup of diced celery
• 1 Cup of thinly sliced beautifully firm fresh mushrooms (yes, you can add more)
• 6 - 12 ounce cans of diced red tomatoes in their own sauce
• 3 Cups of Beef Stock or 3 cubes of Knorr Beef Bouillion Cubes
• 1 Cup (or 2) of exceptional Burgandy
• 2-3 tsp dried crumbled Basil (or 3-4 bunches of fresh Basil or chopped)

1 Tbsp of dried Oregano

1 tsp dried Rosemary, crushed into a fine powder

2 tsp of either chili powder or Hassah powder

1 strong pinch of ground Clove heads

3 whole Bay leaves

Salt and Pepper

Water

You will need: One very large and heavy soup pot, a fine meshed drainer, a bowl large enough to hold the chopped vegetables, a sharp knife, a long wooden spoon, a cutting board and, possibly, a can opener.  Oh, and willpower not to nibble.

Preparation:

Begin by crumbling and then browning the ground meats in half of the heated olive oil over medium heat.  As you chop the vegetables, inbetween chopping one and the next, stir the cooking meat to break it up into finer morsels.  Just place all the fresh vegetables in a bowl and set it aside until the meat is finished browning.  Once the meat is finished pour it into the drainer and then return the pot to the heat.  It is important to not over cook the meat but only to brown it.  The meat will spend hours cooking so if you must worry, then worry about overcooking the meat from the very start. 

Add the rest of the olive oil  **NOTE** Remember that olive oil should only be heated to warm and not to hot.  Over heating olive oil will scorch your pot permanently, turn bitter and unkindly flavor the dish. 

Add all of the vegetable and sauté.  Don't brown the vegatable; the goal is to warm them just enough to cause them to release their oils.  This usually takes about 5 or 6 minutes.

It's at this point that I usually add the dried herbs and spices  I do this by moving all the vegetables to the cooler sides of the pot which then leaves a nice little empty spot in the center and it is in this spot that I place all of the seasonings.  Once all the

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