Marianne's Marinara Sauce

Sorry, this recipe is going to sound like a Marilynn recipe--which means it will be hard to follow, and yet so worth it. I've been canning my own marinara sauce for a few years now but I always tinker with the recipe. This year I hit gold--seriously. If anyone comes to visit me in Oregon I will give you a bottle to take home as a prize. :)

Anyway, enjoy! Call me if you have questions about this rather ridiculous recipe:

Homemade Marinara Sauce

1 Large sweet onion
1 bunch fresh basil
5 cloves garlic
Enough fresh tomatoes to fill a pot to the top
1 cup red wine
3 cans tomato paste
5 oz Romano cheese
2 TBSP basalmic vinegar
1/4 cup brown sugar
Spices (preferably from Italy)

Dice the onion and put it in the bottom of your biggest pot with olive oil. Allow it to carmelize for 10-12 minutes. At some point add the garlic to the onion so it can carmelize too. And add the Italian spices at this point. Then add the red wine, allowing the alcohol to cook off. Toss in the fresh tomatoes, filling the pan all the way to the top with fresh tomatoes (they will cook down). Throw in the fresh chopped basil.

Now allow the whole thing to simmer for a while--at least an hour. It will cook down and turn a gorgeous orange. Then it's time to season and tweak. Add 3 cans of tomato paste and puree with a hand blender until it's smooth. I also added 5 ounces of grated Romano cheese, 1/4 cup brown sugar, and 2 Tbsp basalmic vinegar.

So here is the part that is a bit ridiculous. When I went to Italy last year, I brought back this spice blend that is amazing. It has a lot of typical Italian spices, but it's also quite spicy and just fantastic. Unfortunately, I really don't know what is in it. Here is what it says on the package: peperoncino, carote, aglio, sale, pomodoro, sedano, cipolla, olive nere, prezzemolo.

The finished sauce is creamy smooth, with a sweet, yet spicy tang. It is so good I'm just eating it with a spoon. I'm pretty excited to bottle this for winter. I will use a pressure cooker canner, because it has onions, basil, and cheese. Enjoy!