Hearty Beef Bolognese

I got this recipe from my dear friend at Dragon's Kitchen. The first time I made this, I knew it was going to be good so I doubled the recipe - one batch for hubby and I (plus the guaranteed leftovers) and one batch for company that was arriving the next evening ... as with all recipes like this bolognese, I knew that it would be better the second day and I wasn't wrong ...

Hearty Beef Bolognese
from Dragon's Kitchen

1 pound lean ground beef
4 T. olive oil
1/4 cup onions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, finely chopped (I actually used more because I'm a freak for carrots)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 T. garlic, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 28oz can diced tomatoes, crush the tomatoes, keep liquid
3 T tomato paste
2 T sugar
1/4 tsp. cinnamon (optional - I did use and it gave a greater depth of flavor)
1 tsp. dried rosemary (**I accidentally used dried fennel - it was really good.)
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried marjoram
1/4 tsp. dried hot pepper flakes
1 tsp. Worchester sauce
1 1/2 cups beef stock
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped for a garnish (optional)

Sauté beef in olive oil over medium until evenly browned. Season with some salt and pepper. Remove the beef from the pan and set aside, keep warm. Drain all but 2 tablespoons of oil from the pan. Add onion, carrots, celery and garlic. Cook until the onions are softened. Deglaze with the red wine, stirring to bring up the little beef bits. Cook until almost all liquid is absorbed. Add tomatoes, paste, sugar, dried herbs, cinnamon, pepper flakes, Worchester sauce and beef stock. Stir to combine and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 3 minutes. Add the reserved beef and stir. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cover. Cook for about 1 1/4 - 1 1/2 hours. Check the seasoning and stir occasionally so the sauce won't burn. Let it rest for 10 minutes before serving. If using, stir in the parsley at the last minute as a garnish.

Because Dragon's awesome, she used this to top some homemade pasta. I just used regular fettucine noodles. This was just incredible.