Marinara Sauce

Here is a basic red sauce you can use with my Meatballs Recipe or to serve along with pasta.

• 1 yellow onion, peeled and chopped fine
• 3 cloves garlic, crushed and finely diced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Red pepper flakes, to taste
• 1 can tomato paste (6oz.)
• 2 28-ounce cans San Marzano (peeled) tomatoes
• 1 28-ounce can crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 cup chicken stock + water or red wine
• 2 teaspoons of salt, to taste

For the marinara, cook the onion in the olive oil in a sauce pot over medium neat, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and continue cooking about 5 more minutes or until garlic is tender and onions translucent, not brown (this is called “sweating” because it will draw out a lot of moisture and flavor). Add the tomato paste and red chili flakes to taste, and continue cooking for about 3 more minutes.

Add all the tomato products. Pour the chicken stock into one of the 28-oz cans. Fill it the rest of the way with water (or red wine) and add that and the brown sugar to the pot. Stir and bring to a simmer. Taste and season with salt and cover. Simmer the sauce for about 1 hour with the lid cracked. Stir occasionally to keep from sticking on the bottom. The sauce should be a medium consistency, but not watery. Uncover and simmer for a few more minutes if it is too thin for your taste; add a little water if it seems thick.- Yields 6 cups