Marinara Sauce

This summer I began a quest for a great marinara sauce.  I'm tired of Ragu, Prego, and all the rest.  I decided that I can figure this out.  How to make a tomato sauce not taste bleh.  I think I found it in the Pasta & Co. Cookbook.  My husband and I were shopping at a thrift store and we came across this book for half price.  This little baby is a wealth of information.  A treasure trove.

You will want to make this sauce when you make pasta next time.  Thank me later.

Amazing Marinara Sauce
(modified from Bolognese Sauce from the Pasta & Co. Cookbook)

2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped carrots
1/4 cup chopped celery
8 cloves garlic finely minced
2 teaspoons oregano
1 teaspoon basil
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 teaspoon fennel seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 small bay leaf
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup tomato paste whisked into 1/4 cup water
2 (28 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes in heavy puree

Saute onion, celery, and carrot until onion is translucent in the olive oil.  Add spices and saute until it smells great.  Deglaze the pan with the white wine, taking special care to scrape the brown bits off the bottom.  This is where the great flavor is.  Reduce the wine by 1/2.  Stir in the tomato paste/water slurry.  Bring all of this to a simmer.  Add the tomatoes and bring it back to a simmer.  Simmer the sauce over low heat for one hour.  If the sauce is too thick, add one cup of the pasta water to loosen it up.

To serve, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over the sauce and garnish with shaved Parmesan. 

Makes about 6 cups of sauce.

Recipe adapted from the Pasta & Co. Cookbook.