Preheat oven to 180°C (160°C fan-forced).

Soffrito - Heat the olive oil in a large heavy-based pot (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and fennel seeds. Cook for 8 minutes until the carrot is soft and sweet, but not golden.

Cook sausage - Turn the heat up to high and add the sausage. Cook, breaking it up as you go. It won't crumble like ground meat, but that's okay; we will break it up more later.

Deglaze - Once the meat is no longer pink (it won't really brown), add the tomato paste. Cook for 1 minute, then add the wine and let it simmer rapidly for 2 minutes until reduced by half, scraping the base of the pot clean.

Slow cook #1 (1 hr) - Add the remaining ragu ingredients. Stir, bring to a simmer, cover, and place it in the oven for 1 hour.

Slow cook #2 (45 min) - Remove from the oven and use a potato masher to mash the meat finer. Cover again and return to the oven for 45 minutes. The sauce will thicken as it cooks and loosen when tossed with the pasta.

Salt - Taste and add more salt if desired, as sausages vary in saltiness.