1 ½teaspoonsdried oreganopreferably the type dried on the branch, crumbled
4cupshot waterI didn’t need any
Instructions
Pass the tomatoes through a food mill fitted with a fine blade and place in slow cooker. (Don’t skip this step, it’s a little extra work, but so worth it).
Heat the olive oil in a heavy pot over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until golden about 8 minutes. Make room in the center of the pot and add the garlic and cook until lightly browned. Add the pork bones and cook, turning them, until they are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the ground beef and pork and season lightly with salt. Cook them, breaking up the chunks, until the liquid they give off has boiled away – about 10 minutes. Continue until it is nicely browned about another 5 minutes. Add the bay leaves and the oregano and then the wine. Bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits and cook until the wine has completely evaporated.
At this point I spooned this into the slow cooker. I added the tomato paste and seasoned again lightly with salt. Covered and cooked on low for about 8 hours.
If you are doing it on the stove, add the tomatoes, paste and salt to the pot. Bring to a boil, and then adjust the heat to keep it at a lively simmer. Cook uncovered for 2-3 hours, adding hot water about ½ cup at a time to maintain the level of liquid. Skim off any fat from the top, remove the bones, adjust the seasoning and spoon over pasta.
Notes
Makes about 8 cups to dress about 2 pounds of pasta. (So, I took half of it and froze it – bonus!)