Heat a medium Dutch oven, add about 1 Tbsp olive oil, then add 1 chopped onion and a ½ tsp salt. When browned, add 1 1/3 lb minced beef until browned, then add ½ white wine and boil vigorously until all the alcohol has evaporated. Add 6 medium tomatoes (grated on a mandolin, with skin removed), then lower heat to medium. Simmer until slightly thickened, then add 1 ½ tsp sugar, 1 bay leaf, 2 allspice berries (here, ¼ tsp ground allspice), ½ tsp cinnamon (here, ½ tsp nutmeg since we find cinnamon cloying), 1/16 tsp ground cloves, and 3 cups beef stock. Season with salt and black pepper. Let simmer for 30-35 mins, until most of the liquid has evaporated. Season to taste with sugar, as appropriate. This recipe is from Cooking with Loula, a cookbook by Alexandra Stratou. (Sept. 2016)
Note: We found the sauce did not reduce as much as expected. The next time, we will reduce the amount of beef broth from 3 cups to 1.5 cups.
Cooking Adventures 