Recipe: Carmine's Marinara Sauce

CARMINE'S MARINARA SAUCE

"We use this versatile sauce in so many of our recipes that we always have it ready and waiting. You will want to, too."

3 cans (26 to 28 ounces each) Italian plum tomatoes (we use San Marzano)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic (from about 12 cloves garlic)
12 fresh basil leaves, sliced
2 teaspoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground black pepper

Drain the tomatoes in a colander set in a large bowl for 5 minutes. Reserve the tomato liquid.

In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the garlic and cook it, stirring, for about 5 minutes or until it is golden brown. If the garlic starts to cook too quickly, reduce the heat.

Add the basil, parsley, salt, and pepper to taste. Cook the mixture for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, increase the heat to high, and cook them for about 5 minutes, using a wooden spoon or long-handled fork to break them up, or until the tomatoes boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the sauce for about 10 minutes or until the tomatoes break down.

Add the reserved tomato liquid. Increase the heat to high and bring the sauce to a boil. Boil it for about 12 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Stir it occasionally and scrape the bottom of the pan to prevent the sauce from burning.

Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set it aside for about 1 hour or until it cools to room temperature. Transfer it to a tightly covered storage container and refrigerate it for up to 1 week or freeze it for up to 1 month.

Makes about 5 cups
Source: Carmine's Family-Style Cookbook: More Than 100 Classic Italian Dishes to Make at Home by Michael Ronis with Mary Goodbody