Tomato Sauce, Basic
Ingredients
2 tablespoons Cold Pressed Olive Oil
½ medium Onion, finely chopped
1 small Carrot or ½ large Carrot, finely chopped
1 small Stalk of Celery, including the green tops, finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh Parsley, chopped
1 clove Garlic, minced
½ teaspoon dried Basil or 2 tablespoons fresh Basil, chopped
28 ounces Whole Tomatoes, including the juice, or 1¾ pound of fresh Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
Sea Salt, to taste
Black Pepper, freshly ground, to taste
Directions
1. Heat olive oil in a large wide skillet on medium heat
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery and parsley
3. Stir to coat
4. Reduce the heat to low, cover the skillet and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally until the vegetables are softened and cooked through
5. Remove cover and add the minced garlic
6. Increase the heat to medium high
7. Cook the garlic for 30 seconds
8. Add the tomatoes, including the juice
9. Add the tomato paste and the basil
11. Season with salt and pepper
12. Bring to a low simmer; reduce the heat to low and cook, uncovered until thickened, about 15 minutes
Option: If you want you can push the sauce through a food mill to give it a smooth consistency (or use a hand held immersion blender).