Marinara Sauce

Marinara Sauce

I have tried many different recipes and stumbled across this one in January 2020. It has become my go to Marinara Sauce.  The recipe comes from the "Vegetarian International Cuisine: An Essential Cookbook"@1997 from the Cheese Factory Restaurant, Wisconsin Dells, WI.

NOTE: we moved to our cabin in the fall of 2019 with no pizza delivery.  This sauce is an important part of the pizza I make just about every week. I add this sauce to this fantastic Mushroom and Gruyère Pizza from Jacque Pépin

Yield: 2 quarts sauce

INGREDIENTS

2 T olive oil

1/2 c. finely chopped onion

2 t. minced garlic

1/4/ c. finely chopped green pepper (I usually have red pepper on hand)

1 t. whole fennel seeds

1/4 t. hot pepper flakes (I am very sparing with this)

1 can (29 ounces)  tomato sauce

1 can (14.5 ounces) peeled Italian plum tomatoes with juice coarsely chopped (I use whatever tomatoes I have. If you can your own definitely use those.

1 can tomato juice (YES, use your own canned tomato juice if you have it!!!!)

1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste

1 t. salt

1 t. dried basil, crumbled (I will use fresh if I have it. Use more, of course)

1/4 t. dried thyme, crumbled

1/2 t. dried oregano, crumbled

1/2 t. ground fennel

1/4 t. coarsely ground black pepper

2 T. sugar

2 bay leaves

1 T. chopped fresh Italian parsley

1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheeses

DIRECTIONS

Heat oil in a heavy-bottomed 5 quart saucepan. Add onion, garlic, celery, green/red pepper, fennel seeds, and hot pepper flakes; saute 3 to 5 minutes. Add tomato sauce, tomatoes, tomato juice, tomato paste, salt, basil, thyme, oregano, fennel, pepper, sugar, bay leaves, parsley, and cheese.  Bring to a slow boil and simmer approximately 45 minutes stirring frequently.

Freeze what you don't use