Mama's Marinara

Name: Mama's Marinara
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 1 h
Total time: 1 h 5 min
Yield: 6 serving(s)
Ingredients: 4 -6 tablespoons olive oil; 1 small onion, quartered; 1 stalk celery; 1 carrot, peeled; 1/2 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon pepper; 2 garlic cloves, minced; 6 -8 ounces red wine; 32 ounces tomatoes; 2 bay leaves; 1/4 cup parsley, minced fresh*; 1/4 cup basil, minced fresh*

Submitted by c.walsh

"You'll never go back to using a jar sauce again, the taste is so fresh! I started by using canned tomatoes, but it is even more wonderful with fresh tomatoes that have been peeled whole. Just make an "x" at the bottom of tomato and drop in boiling water about 30 sec., remove and skin should peel right off. Don't forget to remove core. Measurements are approximate such as oil, wine and seasonings. I usually just dump whatever is left in the last bottle of wine I was drinking, up to 1/3 of the bottle--if I left that much! The last time I added a couple of minced anaheim peppers from my garden with the onion mix for a nice mildly spicy kick."

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Ready In:: 1hr 5mins
Ingredients:: 12
Serves:: 6

ingredients

4 -6 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion, quartered
1 stalk celery
1 carrot, peeled
¹⁄₂ teaspoon salt
¹⁄₂ teaspoon pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
6 -8 ounces red wine
32 ounces tomatoes
2 bay leaves
¹⁄₄ cup parsley, minced fresh*
¹⁄₄ cup basil, minced fresh*

directions

Place onion, celery and carrot in a food processor and mince fine. You can also minceor grate by hand if you do not have one.
Heat heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat (ceramic coated dutch ovens work great). Lightly coat bottom of pan with oil. Add above veg mixture, season with salt and pepper. Cook until nicely browned about 15 minutes, stirring often so as not to burn it. Vegetables should be very soft and brown, almost like a paste. Add more oil as needed.
Add garlic and cook 3-5 more minutes, stirring often so as not to burn garlic.
Raise heat to med-high to deglaze* pan with red wine. Stir until most of the wine has evaporated and cooked away. (*Just as soon as temp rises to med high, add red wine. It will sizzle and cook down. Stir to loosen up any bits stuck to pan.).
Add whole tomatoes with their juice. Add bay leaves. Cook til bubbly then lower heat to a simmer, stirring occasionally and simmer uncovered for 1 to 1 1/2 hours to desired consistency. The longer it simmers, the thicker it gets. Crush with a potato masher as it cooks (my preference for a nice chunky marinara) or use an immersion/stick blender for a smoother sauce.
Stir in fresh herbs at the end of cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper if needed. I actually season throughout the recipe with each new addition.
*If fresh not available, use any blend of dried italian style herbs but only a fraction of the amount, to taste and add during the last half hour of cooking.