Basic Marinara Sauce

Name: Basic Marinara Sauce
Yield: makes about 2 quarts
Ingredients: 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil; 2 small onions, finely chopped; 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped; 2 celery stalks, finely chopped; 2 carrots, peeled and finely chopped; 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, plus more to taste; 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more to taste; 2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes; 2 dried bay leaves

January 26, 2012

Every cook should have a good marinara sauce in his or her repertoire, and I think this one is just about perfect. Though not as quick to throw together as some of the other tomato sauces I depend on (see page 164 for a really quick, basic sugo), the time you invest in making it will be repaid with a full-flavored, robust sauce that can be used in dozens of different ways. The sauce freezes very well, so why not make a double batch to freeze (after cooling completely) in 2-cup portions? Frozen sauce may be stored for up to 3 months.

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