Marinara Sauce
I don't use fresh supermarket tomatoes, as they're usually picked green for their shipping durability, then reddened with ethylene gas. This changes their color, but the flavor of a tomato never develops off the vine. Good canned tomatoes are picked at the peak of their ripeness, and usually provide a better option for cooked dishes. Read the labels and opt for the brand which has the least amount of added sodium. Locally grown vine-ripened Roma tomatoes may be used, but you will need to peel, de-seed, and crush them yourself.
The wine in this recipe is essential, as tomatoes are one of those foods with certain flavor compounds that can only be released with alcohol. It also adds a subtle layer of "fruity" complexity to the sauce, and works well with the fruitiness of the extra virgin olive oil.
1/2-C Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Medium Onions - Finely Diced
8 Medium Cloves Garlic - Crushed & Minced
1-t Dried Thyme
1-t Dried Basil
1-t Dried Oregano
1-t Dried Marjoram
1-t Fresh Parsley (minced)
1/2-t Freshly Ground Black Pepper
1/4-t Dried Chili Flakes
2-T Tomato Paste
1/2-C Dry White Wine (Non-Oaky - eg. Sauvignon Blanc)
56-fl.oz. Crushed Tomatoes (Low Sodium)
1/4-C Fresh Basil Chiffonade
Adjust w/Kosher Salt & Sugar
In a 8-qt pot, sweat the onions in the olive oil over medium heat. When the onions have given up almost all their liquid and begin to caramelize, add the garlic, dried herbs, parsley, pepper, and chili flakes. Continue to cook until the garlic begins to turn golden and the herbs are very fragrant. Add the tomato paste and cook until it dissolves in the oil and yields a golden brown/red coloration. De-glaze the pan with the wine, add the tomatoes, bring to a simmer, then turn the heat to medium-low. Simmer/reduce the sauce uncovered until it's volume is reduced by roughly one-quarter to one-third (use a spatter-guard to keep the mess down, the high walls of an 8-qt pot also help). Add the fresh basil, and simmer for an additional five minutes.
Run the tomato sauce through a manual food-mill into another 8-qt pot, and reheat over medium-low heat, bringing the sauce back to a simmer (discard any remaining solids/fibrous material left in the food-mill). Adjust seasoning with kosher-salt and balance the acidity with sugar if necessary. This varies by the brand of tomatoes used, but I generally add 1/4 to 1/2-t Salt and 3 to 5-t Sugar.