Eight Hour Sauce

If you are looking for a quick tomato sauce, this is certainly not it!

The recipe takes a minimum of eight hours to make. This is more like a traditional Italian sauce recipe.

Roasting the meat locks in the moisture and the flavor very nicely. I think I would have added a tiny bit of water to the roasting pan to prevent scorching on the bottom.

Alternatively, perhaps I would have roasted the meat in a different pan than the one I made the sauce in. It turned out okay, but honestly I drained the water I initially added off. There was just too much of the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Slow cooking the meat in the broth gives the broth a very rich flavor. It is lovely dark brown color before adding the tomatoes.

The slow cooking really infuses a ton of flavor.

Cooking the tomatoes separately gives them a nice richness as well. I opted to not strain the tomatoes. I did crush them a bit while they were cooking.

Personally, I like having a few bits of tomato in my sauce. If you prefer a smooth sauce, by all means strain the tomatoes before adding them to the broth.

Once you combine the mixtures and cook it for another hour, the end sauce is nice and thick.

The sauce is very rich in meat flavor, and meat. It has a nice balance of acid from the tomatoes.

I will be using the sauce to make the Lasagna Imbottita later this week. I am really looking forward to enjoying it! I am sure there will be some sauce left over - the recipe makes a lot of sauce. I think it will freeze well for future use.

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RICH MEAT SAUCE

1 Pound Lean Beef

1 Pound Pork Shoulder

1 Pound Veal Neck

Salt

1 Teaspoon Black Pepper

4 Cloves Garlic, Chopped

1 Bay Leaf

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1 Onion, Stuck with 3 Cloves

2 Carrots

1 Small Turnip

2 Stalks Celery

6 Tablespoons Butter

2 Cans Tomatoes

1 Teaspoon Dried Basil

1 Can Tomato Paste

Place the meats in a large casserole. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add the garlic cloves, bay leaf 1 teaspoon basil and onion stuck with cloves. Roast in a 450 degree oven until colored a deep golden brown. Remove the meat and place in a deep kettle with the carrots, turnip, celery and water to cover. Bring to a boil. Lower heat and gently simmer gently for 6 hours. Add more liquid during cooking if necessary. Allow to cool. Skim any fat that surfaces. Remove the meat and chop fine. Reheat broth. Strain. Add to the chopped meat. Melt 6 tablespoons butter in a skillet. Add tomatoes. Mash them down well. Add basil and 1 teaspoon salt. Cook uncovered until the tomatoes have cooked down one third. Add tomato paste and blend well. Adjust seasoning. Pour through a strainer into meat sauce. Heat over low heat for 1 hour.