Click image to go back.

 Ingredients:

¼ C olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large green bell pepper, chopped
8 ounces Crimini mushrooms, finely chopped (portabella or button may be used)
3 stalks of celery, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb. hamburger
1 lb. Italian sausage
2 lamb shanks, about 1 lb. each
6 8-oz cans Contadina tomato paste
1 29-oz can Contadina tomato sauce
4 Tbsp. oregano
3 Tbsp. parsley
2 Tbsp. marjoram
2 Tbsp. basil
2 tsp. thyme
¾ tsp. mint
½ tsp. rosemary
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. coarse black pepper
1 tsp. sea salt


Method:

Heat olive oil in stock pot.  Sauté onions, bell pepper, and celery in olive oil
until translucent then add mushrooms and garlic.  Continue to cook until mushrooms
are done, about 5 minutes.  Remove from pot.  Crumble hamburger and sausage into
stock pot. Brown ground meat.  DO NOT DRAIN OFF FAT.  Put vegetables back into pot.
Add tomato paste and sauce.  Fill empty cans with water and add to pot.
Add one additional cup of water (one can full).  Stir until tomato paste smoothes
out and put in shanks.  Mix herbs in a bowl.  Rub mixed herbs between palms over
the sauce to crush and release the oils.  Add sugar, salt and pepper.

Allow to simmer over a very low heat for four to five hours.
Remove the lamb shanks from the pot.  It may be necessary to fish out any stray
pieces of lamb.  Turn off sauce.  Let lamb cool, and then cut into small pieces,
removing any fat and sinew.  Stir back into sauce.

After the sauce has completely cooled, remove any fat that has risen to the surface.