Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Ingredients:
- 1 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
- 1 md. carrot; peeled and chopped
- 1 celery stalk; peeled and chopped
- 1 sm. onion; peeled and chopped
- 4 garlic cloves; peeled and chopped
- 2 tsp. dried Italian herb mix
- 2 bay leaves
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil
- 1/2 cup white wine (or vermouth)
- 1 Tbsp. anchovy paste*
- 3 Tbsp. tomato paste
- Salt and pepper
Preparation:
1. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil over medium low heat.
2. Add onion, celery, carrot, bay leaves, Italian herbs, salt and pepper.
3. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is translucent; about ten minutes.
4. Increase heat to medium, add wine, and reduce by half.
5. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, and anchovy paste*.
6. Simmer, partially covered, for 1 hour; stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasonings. (If too sweet, add a bit of sherry vinegar, if too acid add a bit of sugar.)
7. Allow sauce to cool and then puree to desired smoothness in a blender or using an immersion blender.
*Note 1: You will not taste the anchovy paste. However, it will add great depth and richness to the sauce.
Note 2: This can certainly be made with fresh tomatoes when local fresh tomatoes are available. But non-local supermarket "fresh" tomatoes are no where near as flavorful as tomatoes canned in season.
Note 3: Because this sauce has no artificial stablizers, emulsifying agents, or thickeners in it it will tend to separate. This is what real tomato sauce does.
