Fettuccine Bolognese

I love Italian food. And I also love the Food Network. And I also love Giada De Larurentiis. She is one of my favorite chefs. Her food is so simple, fresh, and delicious. I use her cookbook, Everyday Italian, more than any of my other books. One of my favorite dishes of Giada's is her Simple Bolognese Sauce. It's basically a meat sauce. Absolutely divine! It has so much flavor, and with her tomato sauces she adds celery, onion, and carrots, so I feel a little sneaky because my daughter will eat it and I can smile knowing she is getting some extra veggies for the day. I usually serve this sauce over spaghetti noodles, but tonight, I used fresh fettuccine. I love using fresh pasta whenever I can. I think it has a much better, fresher texture. This sauce is worth the hour that it takes to prepare. And, it tastes much better the next day as well! Can't beat delicious leftovers!!!

Bolognese Sauce

1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 celery stalk, minced
1 carrot, peeled and minced
1 lb. ground beef chuck
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
8 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat. When almost smoking, add the onion and garlic and saute until the onion is very tender, about 8 minutes. Add the celery and carrot and saute for 5 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the ground beef, and saute until the meat is no longer pink, breaking up any large lumps, about 10 minutes. Add the tomatoes, parsley, basil, and salt and pepper, and cook over medium-low heat until the sauce thickens,about 30 minutes. Stir in the cheese, then season with more salt and pepper to taste.