I am the type of person who needs a recipe – I like to follow directions when I am cooking.  But there is one thing I can make without consulting a recipe, and I’ve become so good at it that it comes out great every time – marinara sauce (or, as us Italians call it, “Sauce” or “Gravy”).

When friends tell me they buy jarred sauce, I always tell them how easy it is to make your own sauce.  And the best thing is, the recipe I use makes tons, so if you have a family of four (or better yet, if you are single or a couple), you will have sauce for a very long time.  It freezes very well, so I usually keep one container in the fridge and end up with one or even two in the freezer.  Depending on how much pasta you eat, it can last you at least a week or longer (I’ve never really explored exactly how long you can leave it in the refrigerator before it goes bad … my unscientific answer is, “until it grows mold”.  Eww, that’s pretty gross, now that I think about it).

The actual time spent making the sauce is about five minutes, and then it simmers for two to three hours.  In my mind, there is no good excuse for not making your own sauce – but I guess any Italian worth their meatballs will say the same thing.

Marinara Sauce

Olive Oil (2 swirls around the pot)

2 or 3 cloves of garlic, whole with skins off

1 cup red wine (something full bodied … don’t ask me what, I don’t know anything about red wine)

2 large cans crushed tomatoes (I use Tuttarosa, they seem to be less acidic)

salt to taste

pepper to taste

1 tbsp sugar (or more, to taste)

1 tsp dried thyme (or more, to taste)

1 tsp dried basil (or more, to taste)

In a large saucepot, fry garlic in olive oil over medium high heat (do not burn garlic or it will taste bitter – a nice golden brown is perfect).

Add red wine and cook off alcohol (watch out, it may splatter), about 2-3 minutes. Add the rest of the ingredients, stir well. Allow sauce to boil briefly before lowering heat to a simmer.

Simmer at least an hour (2-3 hours max) uncovered. Freeze small containers of sauce for later use.