Big Batch Vegetarian Red Sauce

This recipe is pretty seriously cribbed from Bob Sloan's Dad's Own Cook Book, which has at least the minimum number of usable recipes (3) to justify its space on the shelf. My changes are absolutely crucial and remove any question of copyright violation.

Actually, before we get started, let's talk about tomatoes. It is, of course, possible to make a tomato sauce starting with fresh tomatoes rather than canned. But I don't see why you'd bother, unless you're making one of those uncooked fresh tomato sauces that is really something else entirely.

So, what canned tomatoes? The original recipe calls for crushed tomatoes, but that just doesn't sit right with me. Even settling on whole tomatoes still leaves lots of choices. Some people like San Marzano tomatoes, though this merely starts another argument about what really defines San Marzanos. Some like Glen Muir Organic Tomatoes. Some insist the tomatoes must come in tomato juice, not puree. Some say that the sauce won't cook down properly if the tomatoes have calcium chloride added.

Here's what I suggest: buy the most expensive Italian San Marzano D.O.P. tomatoes with as few additives as possible, and make a sauce. The next time, go to the Dollar Tree and buy Uncle Ernie's Holiday Camp Tomatoes. If you can't tell the difference, well, there you are. If you can, interpolate.

2-3 tbsp. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 ribs celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped or grated
1 green or red bell pepper, seeds and membranes removed, chopped
3-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1/2 - 1 cup red wine
2 28 oz. cans tomatoes
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 tsp. dried basil or 1 tsp. dried and 2 tbsp. chopped fresh
3 tbsp. chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp. dried oregano
1-1/2 tsp. salt
Pepper to taste
2 cups water

In a large pot, with a heavy bottom (unless you don't mind stirring constantly to avoid scorching), heat the oil until a drop of water sizzles in it. Add the onion, celery, carrots, and green or red pepper. Cook, stirring, until most of the moisture is gone and the carrots begin to soften, 8 minutes or so if grated. Add the garlic and cook for a couple of minutes.

Add the wine and raise the heat, cooking until the liquid begins to thicken. Break up the tomatoes by hand and add them, along with the tomato paste, dried basil, about half the parsley, the oregano, salt, pepper, and water.

Lower the heat and stir the first few minutes until there is a low, steady bubbling. Simmer, continuing to stir now and then, for an hour or so. At this point, you could:

• Serve the sauce with chunky vegetables;
• Use a food mill to process the liquid into a thin tomato sauce (a passata, I think), discarding the solid vegetables;
• Use the food mill in multiple passes to grind the solids, producing a thick, smooth, sauce (Papa's favorite);
• Use a food processor to puree the sauce, if you don't mind it turning slightly orange;
• Use a blender, if you don't mind the orange and also don't mind the vague sense that you're producing the base for a Bloody Mary Smoothie.

Or continue to cook the sauce further, choosing any of the above options after the sauce has cooked down further. Somewhere late in the process, add fresh basil, if you are using it. Fresh basil is probably wasted (compared to dried) if it is added first thing, but that works, too. I recommend dried basil early, and fresh at the last minute. You can use the rest of a bunch of basil to make pesto.

Serve with pasta. Or vodka and tabasco.