Meat Sauce (Granny's)

A hearty, homemade ground pork and veal pasta sauce that is easy to put together and is versatile enough to make lasagna, spaghetti and meat sauce and/or the base for chili.

2 Tbsp. butter
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
3 cups onions, finely diced
3 cups carrots, finely diced
3 cups celery, finely diced
2 lb ground pork (1 kg)
1 lb ground veal or beef (500 g)
3 cups mushrooms, sliced
1 cup cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 Tbsp. fresh oregano, shredded
2 Tbsp. fresh basil, shredded
1 tsp. crushed red pepper (optional)
2 tsp. sea salt
1 tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
2 (28 oz) cans whole tomatoes
2 (28 oz) cans passatta or tomato purée

To Serve:
Parmesan cheese, freshly shredded

In a large pot, add the butter and oil until melted. Add onions, carrots and celery and cook until the onions become translucent about 5 minutes. Add the ground meat, mushrooms, garlic and spices.

Cook on medium heat, breaking up the meat into pieces until the meat no longer has any pink. Add in the tomatoes and sauce, cover the pot and simmer for 20 minutes. Check for seasonings and adjust if necessary.

Continue to simmer until your desired consistency, I like a slow simmer for a few hours but have eaten it after 45 minutes.

Serve over pasta.

Storage: This sauce will keep up to 4 days in an air-tight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.