• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Line a baking tray with parchment paper.
• Combine chopped vegetables, garlic, salt, pepper and 1 tbsp oil. Pour onto the prepared tray. Roast for 40-60 minutes depending on your oven. Vegetables should be very soft with a little colour.
  1 cup carrots, 1 cup celery, 1 cup white onions, 1/4 cup garlic cloves, Nova Scotia sea salt & black pepper, 1 tbsp neutral oil
• In a large bowl, using an immersion blender or a potato masher, purée or mash the roasted vegetables, the canned tomatoes, the sugar and the beef stock until smooth as possible. Set aside.
  2x 28oz cans whole tomatoes, 2 tbsp white sugar, 2 cups beef stock
• In a large frying pan, heat 1 tbsp oil, add the ground meat, fry until cooked and some colour has developed. Break up the meat as it cooks to create a crumble. Drain fat from the meat and discard. Set meat aside.
  1 lb ground pork, 1 lb lean ground beef, 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Using the same frying pan as the meat, heat 1 tbsp oil, add tomato paste, cook on low heat until the paste has darkened and thickened slightly. Scrape into a bowl containing the cooked meat. *Caramelizing the tomato paste will sweeten the sauce and intensify the tomato flavour.
  1 small can of tomato paste, 1 tbsp neutral oil
• Using the same pan, deglaze by adding the red wine, bring to a simmer and cook for 4-6 minutes, scraping the sides. This will capture the flavours of the meat and the caramelized tomato paste to develop a more complex sauce. Combine with cooked meat and tomato paste.
  100 ml Grand Pré Castel wine
• In a large, heavy-bottomed pot, combine all ingredients and stir.
• On medium heat, bring mixture to a gentle simmer, lower heat and cook on very low heat, stirring often to prevent the sauce from sticking to the bottom of the pot. Cook for 1-1.5 hours until the sauce has thickened slightly.
• Before serving, add heavy cream to sauce, heat through gently. Serve with pasta.
  1 cup heavy cream
• Prepare your choice of pasta according to the package instructions. When possible, try the dish with fresh pasta, which is widely available at farm markets and specialty grocery stores.
  fresh pasta
• Garnish with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and cracked black pepper.
  Parmesan cheese

Focaccia

• Preheat oven to 350°F.
• Grease a 9×13 nonstick pan (preferably metal). Cut a 3″-wide strip of parchment that’s about 16″ long. Lay the strip across the center of the pan, leaving a few inches of overhang on two sides. (The parchment tabs will help you remove the focaccia from the pan later.)
• Measure flour into the bowl of a stand mixer, if using. This bread can also be mixed by hand, but it is a sticky dough.
  450 g all purpose flour
• In another bowl, combine salt, sugar, active dry yeast. Add lukewarm water, and whisk to combine. Set aside in a draft free area until the mixture shows signs of foaming.
  32 g white sugar, 12 g salt, 15 g active dry yeast, 300 ml lukewarm water
• Add the yeast/water mixture to flour, then add canola oil, and mix on low until a shaggy dough forms. Increase the speed to medium and mix for 5 minutes. A very elastic, sticky dough should form.
  375 ml canola oil
• Transfer the dough to the prepared pan. Use your hands to lightly brush any oil that’s pooling at the edges of the pan to rub the dough. Cover the pan with plastic wrap and set aside until the dough has doubled in size, 40 minutes-1 hour depending on room temperature.
• Wet your hands with water or oil to gently flatten and stretch the dough to the corners of the pan. Cover the dough and allow to rise again until puffy, about 30 minutes.
• Top with a heavy drizzle of olive oil (about 2 tbsp) , a sprinkle of flaky or coarse sea salt, fresh cracked black pepper and your choice of herbs. Dimple dough all over with fingertips.
  flakey sea salt, olive oil, freshly cracked black pepper, 1 tbsp mixed herbs (dry basil, oregano, fresh parsley, etc.)
• Bake on the middle rack for 30-45 minutes depending on your oven. Focaccia should be golden brown.
• Allow to cool slightly, remove from the pan using parchment handles and place on a wire cooling rack.
*Store leftover bread in a sealed container or bag at room temperature for 2-3 days or in the freezer for 2-3 months*