This is impossibly hard, because EVERYBODY'S salsa di pomodori - or sugo di pomodori, if you prefer "gravy" to "sauce" - is the best. So why should you believe mine is the best? You probably shouldn't. But you should try it!

SALSA DI POMODORI SEMPLICE DI RINALDO
(Ron's Simple Tomato Sauce)

2 or 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped

2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
tsp Italian seasoning
tsp parsley
2 basil leaves, finely chopped
2 dried bay leaves, whole
tsp brown sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

In a large stock pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes. Add the celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes.

Add the juice from the canned tomatoes by pouring them through a strainer, then crush the tomatoes and add the pulp. Add the tomato paste and the seasonings and simmer, covered, on low heat for 1 hour or until thick.

Remove the bay leaves and check for seasoning. If the sauce tastes too acidic, add the unsalted butter to round out the flavors.

Serve the sauce on pasta or pizza right away or you can portion it out and refrigerate or freeze it.

I frequently make this sauce in a slow cooker. It works great that way, too.

The sauce may be a little too chunky for some tastes. It works well as is with pasta, but most people don't care for chunks of vegetables on their pizza. Never fear, for use on pizza, you can leave out the carrots and celery and substitute dried onions and garlic without substantially affecting the overall flavor. The other ingredients on your pizza will cover the flavors missing from the sauce. It's better when prepared with everything fresh and a little chunky, but it works either way.

Learn more about this author, Ron James.
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