Marinara Sauce

This is a simple tomato sauce every kitchen should have. All the ingredients are available to most kitchens. Marinara sauce is easy to prepare; it should take 15 minutes for the preparation and the sauce cooks for 1 hour without attendance.
Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 carrot, peeled and chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 bay leaf
1 tbs fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbs fresh thyme, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cans 14.5 oz, crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup dry sherry (optional)

Directions:
In a large casserole pot over the medium heat, sauté' garlic, onions in olive oil until onions are translucent (about 5 min.).

Add celery, carrots, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Add dry sherry and cook until the vegetables are softened (about 10 mins).

 Add tomatoes, bay leaf and oregano.

Turn the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 1/2 hours. Re season again with salt and sugar. Remove the bay leaf. Let the sauce cool and store in a glass jar with lid in the refrigerator to use on pasta, baked fish and meat or as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.

I like marinara sauce a little smooth instead of chunky, so I use a hand-held blender to blend the sauce a few times when it is done.