American meat sauce

Ingredients:

• 700 g of ground beef shoulder
• 1 tbsp. l. olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 1 large green bell pepper, stemmed, seeded and diced
• 2 large stalks of celery, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 can (170 g) of tomato paste
• 0.5 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 cans of 800g canned whole tomatoes, crushed by hand
• 1 tbsp. sugar
• 1 dried bay leaf

Preparation:

1. Heat olive oil in a large saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not browned, about 10 minutes. Increase the heat to medium-high, add the bell pepper, celery, garlic, a generous pinch of salt, and some freshly ground black pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the ground beef to the pan, season with a generous pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper, and cook, stirring to break up the meat into small pieces, until browned, about 10 minutes. Add the tomato paste and oregano and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes.
3. Add Worcestershire sauce, tomatoes with their juices, sugar, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 45 minutes.
   Exit: 10 tbsp.