How to Make an Easy Red Sauce and Look Like You Know What You Are Doing

Ever since I first learned to cook, I always wanted to make a great tomato sauce. The canned or bottled stuff was expensive, or full of ingredients I couldn't pronounce. I wanted something delicious to pour over pasta, use on a homemade pizza, or even use to make some odd concoction. Over the years, I haven't created the perfect sauce, but it has certainly evolved and become perfect for me. I find the secret to making a great red sauce is experimentation - so the recipe below has some tips on how to change it to your tastes.
So, without further ado...

First things first, you need aromatics. Chop up 2 shallots, finely, for the aromatics for this red sauce (you could also use onion - a sweet yellow onion is a great option too). Garlic is always a must; even if you don't care for garlic, it still is necessary. Dice up 3 cloves (if you are really anti-garlic just add one). Toss your aromatics into a large pan with about 2-3 Tablespoons of Olive Oil and cook until the onions are translucent and the air is perfumed with loveliness. Now, add a little sweetness to cut some of the acidity of the tomatoes. This time honey is involved; add about a tablespoon (A few other options are; a carrot diced extremely fine, sugar, agave nectar, wine )

Now it's tomato time! There are several options for tomatoes. You could use a variety of types of canned tomatoes, or you could use fresh. If I'm in a bit of a rush, I use crushed tomatoes (two 15 oz cans) because it has a nice consistancy. You could also use pureed or tomato sauce, but tomato sauce is a bit too smooth for my taste. Whole tomatoes canned are great, just make sure you chop them up well, before adding them to your pan. Fresh tomatoes are a tiny bit more tricky, you might want to precook them a little bit and toss them in a food processor, otherwise you could be stirring sauce for quite a while waiting for your tomatoes to break down.

Next, come your spices and seasonings. What you add is entirely up to your personal taste, preference and what's in your cupboard. Basil is a great choice. I always add it, whether fresh or dried. If you are using dried add about 2 teaspoons. If fresh, add one whole handful of fresh leaves. I also toss in about a teaspoon of fennel seeds, but if fennel doesn't work for you, don't add it. The key here is taste as you go. You could also add
oregano (dried or fresh) and/or thyme (dried or fresh). To umph up the flavors of onion and garlic I added a tablespoon each of garlic and onion powder.

To make this a meat/protein laded sauce: Add your choice of meat or meat substitute with the aromatics at the beginning and cook until mostly done.

To add extra veggies: Toss in a few bell peppers, mushrooms, or any other vegetable of your choice, chopped roughly, with your onions and garlic at the beginning and cook until tender.

Now, you know how to make a sauce that is perfect for your tastes, and changes it up in ways that are perfect for you!