Triff's tomato sauce

"... nothing like spaghetti & tomato sauce to start a romance."-- Anonymous Italian cook.

Querida clase: No compren más pomos desabridos de salsa de tomate en PUBLIX. ¡Qué bochorno! EL TOMATE EN SU SALSA A FUEGO LENTO... ESA ES LA VERDAD.

This recipe is simple and rewarding and entertaining and liberating. It has taken some time to perfect. Here's what you need:

Hardware

a decent 10 inch chef's knife (sharpened)*, later, you will need this,
and a decent cutting board,

Ingredients:

x-tra virgin 1/4 cup olive oil,
1 onion, finely diced** (thus the sharpened knife),
2 bay leaves (preferably fresh, retrieve them before serving),
1 teaspoon chopped fresh oregano,
4 garlic cloves, mashed & roughly chopped.

Method:

Place your chef's knife on top of each clove, and use your hand's heel to give it a decisive thump where the clove sits underneath and crush away. Then you can chop it (not too much). Italian old masters advised that the garlic oil is released much better if chopped without it.

salt to taste,
2 tablespoons tomato paste,
a splash of white wine (any pinot grigio works, not vino seco!  Please)
two 26-ounce boxes Pomi Chopped Tomatoes (or two 28-ounce cans whole plum tomatoes, CENTO San Marzano with its liquid). San Marzano is a better option.

Preparation:

Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onions, bay leaf, oregano, garlic, and salt and cook, stirring until the onions are soft and translucent, about 10 minutes (don't be compulsive, don't stir your food too much). Now, add the tomato paste and continue cooking for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the wine and stir constantly until the sauce begins to boil (if you use San Marzano plum tomatoes, squeeze them with your hands [watch out, your hand pressure! you don't want plum bits in your white shirt] as you add them, add the liquid).

Lower the heat now and simmer for 45 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes or so to prevent the sauce on the bottom of the pot from burning. A secret: if needed, add a pinch of sugar, or if you want a barky overtone, grate a cinnamon stick two strokes, just for a taste-color. Season with additional salt, if desired. Remove the bay leaves before serving.

Voilà!

___________________
*You are not a cook until you own a 10" chef knife. No negotiations here.

** You tell a cook from his ability to chop an onion, by the way, Ramsey is a natural (caution: practice carefully and little by little, or you'll lose a distal phalange in the process).