Laura's Ragu Sauce

Ragu sauce before adding the Pomodoro to it.

This ragu sauce is amazing.  An authentic recipe, learned from Laura.  Make a large batch and freeze it in ziploc bags.  Add the cream just before serving.  It calls for a specific canned tomato sauce, which Laura insisted was the best one to use in the US.

• 1 lb. ground pork
• 1 lb. ground beef 
• Equal amounts of finely chopped carrots, celery, and onion (1 to 1 1/2 cups each)
• Olive oil
• 3 cups Laura's Pomodoro Sauce (or enough to get the consistency of ragu you like)
• Cream
• Pasta

Ragu: Put a roughly equal amount of carrot, celery, and onion into a large pan. Pour enough olive oil to barely cover the vegetables and saute over low heat until softened. Add ground pork and ground beef.  Break the meat pieces into very small bits -- this ragu should not have clumps of meat.

When meat is fully cooked, add Laura's Pomodoro sauce by the cup until you have the desired consistency. I aim for coating the meat in the Pomodoro with a little extra sauce.  Season with salt & pepper. Add 1/4 cup cream (or to desired color).

Pasta:  Follow directions for cooking the pasta, but drain it 2-3 minutes before the direction. Do not rinse the pasta.  Put the pasta back in the pan, adding the Ragu sauce to coat the pasta.  Cook for about 5 minutes, adding water, more Pomodoro, or cream as desired.  Taste and add more salt or pepper if needed.