This recipe never tastes quite the same. When I was an undergraduate, my housemates and I made it all the time and we called it "man sauce." We still call it that despite the innuendo, which didn't occur to us until long after the evolution of the dish.

2 - 3 pounds of ground meat or sausage (cow, deer, pig, squirrel, whatever)
26 oz. carton Pomi chopped tomatoes
8 - 12 oz. can tomato paste (make sure it has no sugar added)
1 large bulb garlic (yes, the entire bulb), chopped
2 medium to large onions, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
handful of fresh basil
3 bay leaves
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 tsp. dry rosemary
salt to taste

optional:
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 cup kalamata olives, halved
1 green pepper, chopped
1 can kidney beans, or some other kind of beans
(basically, whatever you want)

Heat to medium-low a very large, heavy pot or dutch oven or something like that. Put in the olive oil, and when the oil heats up add the onions and the garlic. When the onions have partially caramelized, add the meat. Stir frequently until the meat is mostly cooked. Add the chopped tomatoes, tomato paste, bay leaves, wine, olives, green pepper, and beans. Bring heat up to high. Just as the sauce begins to boil, bring it down to simmer. Cover and simmer the sauce for several hours, stirring periodically. Add the basil, Romano cheese, cayenne pepper, rosemary, and salt. Simmer for another fifteen minutes to half hour.

The bigger a mess you can make of the kitchen while making this, the better. When you chop things, smack the knife down to make lots of noise (but be careful). Wipe your hands off on your jeans. Talk loudly and say inappropriate things. Put the sauce over some kind of pasta and serve it proudly to girls.

Props to Dan Burgess for his help developing this recipe and perpetuating the tradition.