Classic Tomate Sauce

Preheat oven to 300F.

Tie the sachet ingredients into a cheesecloth sack using a piece of kitchen twine.

In a heavy, oven-safe Dutch oven , render the salt pork over low heat until the fat liquefies.

Add the carrots, celery, onions and garlic and saut for a few minutes until the onion is translucent but not brown.

Add the tomatoes, the ham bone, the stock and the sachet.

Bring to a boil, cover, and transfer the pot to the oven. Simmer in the oven, partially covered, for two hours.

Remove from oven. Remove sachet and ham bone and purée sauce in a blender or food processor until smooth, working in batches if necessary.

Season to taste with Kosher salt and a small amount of sugar just enough to cut the acid edge of the tomatoes. Serve hot. If not serving the sauce right away, keep it covered and warm until you're ready to use it. Makes about 2 quarts of Tomate sauce.

Note: For a vegetarian version of this sauce, you can leave out the ham bone and substitute olive oil for the salt pork.