Robust Red Sauce

This red sauce is rich in flavor and has a little bit of a kick.  It goes well with any Italian dish and I use it with a lot more than just spaghetti and meatballs…

INGREDIENTS

• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 – 28 oz. can diced tomatoes
• 1 – 28 oz. can Pastene ‘Kitchen Ready’ tomatoes (if you want a smooth sauce, use 2 cans of this instead of the diced)
• 1/3 cup red wine (one you would drink)
• 1 tsp sugar
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp dried basil
• Red pepper flakes to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

HOW TO MAKE IT

• In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and then add the garlic – saute until fragrant
• Add in the cans of tomatoes and the rest of the olive oil and turn the heat up to medium-high, bringing the sauce to a boil
• Add the red wine  
• Season the sauce with the oregano, basil, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper
• Reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for about 1 hour (or until it begins to thicken), stirring frequently – I usually also break up the large tomato chunks with the back of the spoon