Ingredients:
1 small can of Hunt's (or another thick brand) of tomato paste)
2 cans of ground plum tomatoes
3/4 to 1 pound of medium or lean ground beef
1 medium sized onion
3 to 6 cloves garlic (depending on how much you like garlic)
1 tablespoon dry basil
salt and pepper to taste
Cooking time is approx. 2 hours, but usually the longer you let it simmer, the better it will taste.
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, pour about 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil. Over medium heat cook onions (which you have diced) for approx. 2-3 minutes or until soft and somewhat yellow. Chop the garlic finely and add to onions, cook for about one minute while stirring. Do NOT allow garlic to burn. VERY important to keep a close eye on this.
Open can of paste and add to pan, cooking for one to two minutes while stirring. This gets acid out of paste. Fill empty paste can with water and add to saucepan. Add about 1/2 teaspoon of salt and a pinch of pepper. Also add 1/2 of the basil you will be using. Reduce heat to a low simmer and let this cook down for about 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes add the plum tomatoes and continue to simmer. Now brown the ground beef. I usually splash a little worcestershire sauce and soya sauce on beef while browning and a pinch of pepper. Add ground beef to sauce and continue to simmer over LOW heat for about one hour allowing steam to escape-this will allow sauce to thicken. At this point, you could drop a couple of whole cloves of garlic in if you like (I do, it sweetens the sauce). Approx. 1/2 hour before you plan on serving this incredible concoction, add the other 1/2 of the basil. This will help the flavor, because basil doesn't hold it's aroma or flavor if overcooked. Basically, you are done now. Keep an eye on the sauce, it will thicken as it simmers. You should stir it about every five minutes. Can be served on any kind of pasta or macaroni. Should serve 4 to 8 people, depending on how thick you like to pile it on your pasta.
ENJOY!!!