Spaghetti Sauce - Ragu Sauce A La Bruno

NOTE: Here is one of my favorite pasta sauces. The recipe was from an Italian I worked with in Pakistan. Bruno showed me how to make his grandmother's special ragu. This sauce recipe calls a little chili powder--it is not very spicy, just right. But leave it out if you want the sauce to be very mild. The secret of this sauce is to get imported dried porcini mushrooms and the trick of pouring the soaking water into the sauce.

Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a shallow soup bowl and add about 1/2 cup boiling water. Stir for a few minutes and cover. Let stand for 30 minutes.

In a large pot, add the oil and cook the pancetta until light brown. Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic. Saute over low heat for 30 minutes while the mushrooms soak. Do not allow vegetables to brown as this will change the taste of the sauce.

Peel the tomatoes and rough chop them. Place them into a blender and puree until smooth.

Remove the mushrooms from the bowl and add them to the pot. Now carefully pour off the dark water the mushroom soaked in into the pot. Do not add it all as there may be some sand or soil at the bottom. Discard the last of the soaking water.

Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and chili powder. Cover the ragu and let it simmer for at least 4 hours.