Heat a Dutch oven (or other thick-bottomed pot) over medium heat. Add the olive oil, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic. Saute for 10 minutes until softened but not browned, stirring often.

Clear a space in the center of the pot. Add the tomato paste and let it fry until the oil turns red. Stir it into the vegetables. Then clear another space, and add the anchovies. Let them fry and break up into bits until sizzling and starting to caramelize.

Add the ground beef and pork, and stir to combine with the vegetables, breaking the meat up into crumbles. Increase the heat to medium-high, and let the meat brown all over, but don’t feel the need to get it crispy.

Add the red wine, deglazing the pan. Scrape up any browned bits with your wooden spatula. Add the beef bouillon, rosemary, bay leaves, oregano, thyme, and pepper. Simmer for 15 minutes to cook off the alcohol.

Stir in the tomato puree, tomato chunks, and basil stems (you can tie them together with kitchen string for easy removal later). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cover. Cook for 2 hours until you have a rich, thick sauce, stirring occasionally to make sure it stays at a low simmer. (Be sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot when you stir to ensure nothing is burning.)

Season with salt and sugar (optional, to taste, but I think it’s a helpful addition most of the time).

To serve, boil the spaghetti one minute shy of al dente, set aside a cup of starchy pasta water, and drain. Add the pasta to a skillet or pot set over medium heat. Ladle the sauce over the top, tossing it with tongs. Add a little bit of pasta cooking water and keep adding sauce until the consistency is to your liking and the sauce is clinging to the noodles. Serve with basil leaves and grated parmesan cheese.