Pork Bolognese Pasta

I couldn't figure out what to make for the after school kids today so I rooted through my freezer for inspiration.  I found some chorizo, some Italian sausage and some ground pork.  This is the recipe I came up with and much to my surprise, it might be better than my classic bolognese.

 I started by sauteing diced onion in olive oil along with about 4 anchovies.

 I added diced celery, carrots, peppers and garlic.  Then I added all of the meat and cooked it until it was browned.

 Then I came up with an idea for something I never did before.  I cooked the tomato paste in a cast iron pan until it became a dark red and had a very rich flavor.

I added oregano, rosemary and thyme to it along with salt and pepper.  Then I whisked in red wine and cooked it until it thickened.  The flavor was sensational.  My husband is sampling some as I type and he described it as bowl licking good.  He asked if he could have more and I told him no, it's for the kids.

 I warmed up frozen sauce from last summer. I added some beef bouillon for extra flavor.

 Here is the paste with the wine and herbs added.

 Here it is when I added it to the vegetables and meat.  What a wonderful color.  I am doing this with my pasta sauces from now on.

 Mixed it in ...

 Then added the warmed tomato sauce and braised it in a 300 degree oven for 2 hours.

 I made a gremolata of diced parsley, lemon rind and parmesan cheese.

 After 2 hours, the sauce is nice and rich. Oh, for the last 30 minutes of cooking, I threw a cinnamon stick in the pot.  Remove it when you take the sauce out of the oven.

 Stir in the gremolata.

 I served it over buttered bowtie pasta.

I can't wait to hear how the kids like it.