Andrew's sort of Italian Ragu

Heat the olive oil in a large sauce pot over medium-high heat.

Add the ground beef and brown it until nicely browned; break it up as it cooks. Once browned, remove the meat from the pot and set it aside.

In the same pot (don’t clean it), add the finely diced carrots, diced celery and minced garlic. Cook over medium heat until the carrots and celery begin to soften.

Add the finely diced onion to the pot and cook with the other vegetables until all the vegetables are fork-tender.

Stir in the tomato paste and cook briefly (1–2 minutes) to deepen the flavors and toast the paste.

Return the browned ground beef to the pot and mix with the vegetables and tomato paste.

Pour in the white wine to deglaze the pot, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom. Cook the wine down until there is almost no liquid left.

Add the canned whole peeled tomatoes (break them up with a spoon or crush by hand as you add them) or add canned crushed tomatoes if using. Stir to combine.

Season with salt, black pepper and add the two bay leaves. If using, add dried oregano and garlic powder.

Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, then reduce the heat to low. Partially cover the pot and let the ragu simmer for about 2 hours, stirring every 15–20 minutes so the sauce doesn’t stick or burn on the bottom. The longer it cooks, the better the flavor.

Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Serve the ragu over your choice of cooked pasta and top with grated Parmesan.