Ingredients

• 500 g of good quality beef mince, choose shoulder if you're at the butcher
• 400 g of tinned, chopped tomatoes
• 1 finely chopped medium-sized red onion
• 1 pressed clove of garlic
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 100 ml of red wine
• 1 tablespoon of oregano
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (prefer brown cane sugar)
• salt & pepper to flavour
• 500 g of spaghetti or your favourite pasta
• Water for boiling the pasta
• Grated parmesan cheese to serve
• Basil (optional)

Instructions

1. Take your meat out of the fridge around an hour before you start cooking. Put the meat in a bowl, add half a teaspoon of salt and mix.
2. Chop the onion, press the garlic and fry in the olive oil in a large pot/pan (I use a cast-iron pot) over medium heat until the onion turns glassy ~ five minutes.
3. Raise the heat to 3/4 power and add the meat, stirring and letting it brown for a few minutes (browning adds flavour)
4. Add red wine and let it boil for a minute.
5. Add the chopped tomato and the sugar and lower the temperature to medium, simmer for around 30 minutes (add the lid of the pot if it starts to splash). Make sure to stir from time to time.
6. Grind some pepper into the pot, add the oregano and check for salt, let it simmer with the lid on.
7. Boil a large pot of salted water and cook the pasta as per the instructions.
8. Drain the pasta and mix in the sauce.
9. Serve with the cheese, add some basil leaves for looks