Tuscan Pici with minced meat sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 450 Pasta (Pici or Trofiette, durum wheat semolina pasta)
• 1 onion(s), red, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled and finely chopped
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary, fresh
• 500 g minced beef
• 1.6 kg tomatoes (plum tomatoes from a can, preferably from Italy)
• Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
• 1 piece(s) Parmesan
• olive oil

Instructions

Working time approx. 20 minutes; Total time approx. 20 minutes

Thick spaghetti with an aromatic, long-cooked minced meat sauce

Choose a pot with a lid that will easily accommodate all of the sauce ingredients. Pour in a splash of olive oil, heat, and gently sauté the onions and garlic for 5-10 minutes, until soft and lightly browned. Strain the canned tomatoes, reserving the juice. Add the tomatoes to the pot, initially adding only half of the juice; you can add more if needed. Add the bay leaves, rosemary sprig, ground beef, and tomatoes. The ground beef will not be browned in this preparation! Stir thoroughly, bring to a boil, and simmer gently over low heat, covered, for at least 2 hours. If the sauce thickens, add the remaining tomato juice. Finally, season generously with salt and pepper. Remove the bay leaves and rosemary with tongs and discard. Cook the pasta in salted water until al dente, drain, and immediately toss with the sauce. Finish with a generous splash of olive oil, season again, and serve. A generous serving of freshly grated Parmesan cheese is a must! The highlight of this dish is the undercooked minced meat, which is very soft and gives the dish a completely different flavor than typical minced meat sauces. And of course, the typically Italian, long cooking of the sauce with fresh herbs turns it into a flavor bomb.