Making cooking sauce. This is one of my favorites for any kind of pasta sauce. This sauce is a Marinara of sorts. Slow cooked and reduced to accommodate additional flavoring and elements. I use a 16quart stock pot and only cook on low to medium low heat.
First I caramelize a whole vidilia onion in a half cup of extra virgin olive oil. It takes 30-45 minutes.
The basic ingredients:
2 28oz cans of...tomato sauce, tomato purée, diced tomatoes, whole Roma tomatoes with juice and 2 large cans of tomato paste. Crush the whole tomatoes and remove any skins you might find. 2 green, and 1 each red, yellow and orange bell peppers chopped (small). Fresh garlic......lots of fresh garlic. I process mine in a small food processor with extra virgin olive oil. Did I say lots of garlic?
After the onions are caramelized, add in the chopped peppers.
Add the seasonings: sea salt, black pepper, red pepper flakes, parsley, oregano, Basil and thyme. I use mostly what I've grown and saved from last summer. Black opal Basil ( flowers) , Greek Oregano, Curley Italian Parsley.....it makes a difference.
My own garlic too. Hard to believe I harvested this at the end of last June.
Anyway, simmer...simmer....simmer until it's reduced by 20% or so. Taste...adjust....add....make it your own. Remember that this is a cooking sauce and you'll be tossing it in a sauté pan to flavor for the dish at hand.
Once it's finished I put it up in dinner sized servings. I freeze mine...it's just easier than any other storage method I've tried.
Enjoy.
Rg