PASTA BOLOGNESE

ground beef, 1 lb
1 bag of pappardelle pasta,
2 carrots,
2 stalks celery,
2 cloves garlic,
1 yellow onion,
4 tbsp tomato paste,
Fresh parsley, 4 sprigs
1 fresh bay leaf,
1/4 cup heavy cream,
2/3 cup grated parmesan cheese.
directions:
bring a pot of salted water to a boil.
mince the garlic, dice the onion, peel and dice the carrots and chop the parsley.

 over medium-high heat,
heat 2 teaspoons olive oil and add the garlic, carrots, onion, diced celery and bay leaf.  season with salt and pepper. stir occasionally, and cook for 6 to 8 minutes or until softened.  add tomato paste and cook stirring frequently 2 to 3 minutes.
while the vegetables cook, heat 1 teaspoon olive oil in a large nonstick pan over medium-high heat and cook the ground beef, seasoned with salt and pepper for about 5-7 minutes. once browned, remove from heat and drain and discard the fat from the pan.
add the cooked beef, heavy cream and 2 1/2 cups of water to the pot of vegetables and stir.  heat to boiling on high, season with salt and pepper. once it’s boiling, reduce the heat to medium-high and simmer, stirring occasionally 14-16 minutes or until thickened and slightly reduced in volume. remove from heat.
add the pasta to the pot of boiling water and cook 2-3 minutes (or until al dente). reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water. drain the cooked pasta and add directly to the sauce along with the reserved pasta water.  cook on medium heat, stirring to coat the pasta in the sauce for 1-2 minutes. remove from heat, stir in the parmesan cheese (optional )and season with salt and pepper to taste.