Marinara Sauce

Ingredients:

6 lbs ripe Italian tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onions
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 teaspoon sugar
white pepper
1/4- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander or dried marjoram or dried basil or dried oregano
1-2 teaspoon salt, to taste

Directions:Prep Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 1 1/2 hrs
1 Drop the tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time.
2 Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain.
3 Peel and chop.
4 In a large saucepan, cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, covered, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times.
5 Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are very soft and lightly gold.
6 Add the tomatoes, sugar, and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.
7 Puree the sauce using a hand blender or food mill
8 Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until a desirable consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often.
9 Add salt to taste.
10 Cool the sauce and refrigerate it.
11 It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.

variations: instead of including the veggies as directed I used leftover pureed cooked veggies from when I boiled whole chickens and made chicken broth. I just froze the veggies in ziploc bags and thawed them with the warm water for the tomatoes in step 2. I also included 1 frozen cube of basil from my garden and several cloves of garlic...otherwise this sauce it a bit bland. I freeze this sauce in ziplocs or plastic containers and when I reheat it I add a small can of tomato paste to make it a little richer.