Red sauce with plenty of ground beef, seasonings, mushrooms, olives and garlic.
INGREDIENTS (for 2 servings):
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 large onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 teaspoon dried chervil
- 2 teaspoons dried basil
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 tablespoon seasoning salt
- salt
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon red chile sauce
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 (28 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes
- 3 (29 ounce) cans tomato sauce
- 22 ounces tomato paste
- 2 (6 ounce) cans mushrooms, drained
- 1 (4 ounce) can sliced black olives, drained
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules (optional)
PREPARATION:
In a large saucepan, saute onion and garlic in oil until soft. Add ground beef and saute until pink colour is gone, stirring to break up large pieces. While beef is browning, add chervil, basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, red pepper, seasoning salt, salt, soy sauce, red chile sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
After beef has browned, add canned tomatoes; simmer for 10 minutes. Spoon off any excess fat. Add tomato sauce and stir until well mixed. Spoon in tomato paste and stir gently until paste is incorporated. Add mushrooms and olives. Poke bay leaves into sauce.
Simmer for at least two hours, stirring occasionally to be sure it's not sticking to the bottom. Three or four hours of simmering is even better.