Almost Grandma's Tomato Sauce

Process tomatoes in a blender until liquid. Set aside.

Saute onion and garlic in enough olive oil to cover 1/2 cm of the bottom of a a large NON-ALUMINUM saucepan.

Add tomatoes (carefully; the oil will splatter). Stir.

Add tomato paste; use a little warm water to remove stuck paste fromcan and add the water to the sauce.

Add salt, red pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, bayleaf and sugar.

If you want to add bell pepper and/or mushrooms then add them now.

Stir well over med-high heat until sauce just comes to a boil. Lowerheat. Simmer 1 hour.

While the sauce is simmering, add red wine.

Author's Notes: This isn't exactly Grandma's recipe, but it's close (she was adorable and a great cook). I've simplified it just a bit.

This should give you enough sauce for several meals. It freezes verywell, but don't use a plastic container - the sauce will stain the container. I'm one of those cooks who cooks without recipes, so if I've confused you don't hesitate to send me an E-mail recipe and I'll try to clarify. To the above you can add ground meat (it's okay to add it raw, it will cook in the sauce) or strips of steak, etc. Simmer for 2 hours. For a truly delicious sauce use Italian sausage. Poke a few holes in each sausage and cook the sausage in a frying pan about half way through. Drain off the excess fat. Then add to the sauce. Simmer sauce at least 3 hours. You may have to skim some fat off the top of the sauce before serving.

Difficulty : easy. Precision