Ingredients

• 2 pounds lean ground Ohio lamb
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 large onions, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, or leaf thyme (or 1 tablespoon fresh)
• 1 sweet red bell pepper, seeded, cored and diced or 1 green bell pepper, peeled, seeded, cored and diced)
• 1 rib celery, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
• 1 28-ounce can Dei Fratelli diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 teaspoon each lemon and orange zest
• 2 cup Meier?s dry white vermouth
• 1 cup lamb stock (chicken broth can be substituted)
• salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
• 2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

Brown ground lamb in non-stick skillet, breaking up meat with edge of spatula. Drain meat in colander to remove all grease, then return to pan. Season with teaspoon of sugar, to brown, then turn into a bowl; reserve. Cook chopped onions, with herbs, in a tablespoon of olive oil until they begin to color. Add diced bell pepper, celery, and carrot. Cook for 2 minutes, then add garlic, Dei Fratelli diced tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaf, lemon and orange zest, Meier?s dry white vermouth, and lamb stock. Reduce heat, cover and braise for 20 minutes. Uncover, add browned meat, and cook for another 20 minutes, until sauce is thick and liquid reduced. When sauce is complete, skim off any small amounts of fat on top of sauce. Discard bay leaf. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper. Stir in cinnamon. (This produces enough sauce to generously dress 1 pound of cooked tubular pasta, such as Rigatoni or Penne Ragate. An ideal garnishing cheese is the Greek Mysythera, a dried, hardened Ricotta.)