Marinara Sauce

Marinara (mariner's) sauce, which originated in southern Italy, is a tomato sauce made with tomatoes, onions, garlic and herbs – mostly fresh basil. However, there are many  variations depending upon the cook and region – capers, olives or anchovies are common additions. This sauce is widely used to flavor pasta, rice, or pizza. I think every kitchen should have this sauce available because a dinner can be whipped up in less than 30 minutes. The acid contained in tomatoes will keep this sauce quite well in the refrigerator. If fresh herbs are not available, dry herbs will be fine as a substitute.
Ingredients:
2 cans 14.5 oz plum tomatoes
2 tbs olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped onions
1 cup red wine
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tbs sugar
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup fresh sweet basil, julienned
1 tbs oregano, chopped

Directions:
In a non-stick saucepan over medium-high heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic, celery, carrots and sauté' until the vegetables wilt or the garlic becomes fragrant (about 5 to 7 minutes).

 Add red wine and cook for 3 minutes. Add entire contents of the canned tomatoes into saucepan,

Use fork to break up the tomatoes or use a hand blender to swirl for a few times. Add basil and oregano to the sauce. Season with salt and pepper. Bring the sauce to boil. Turn heat down to simmer sauce for 1 hour. Season with sugar to balance the acid from the tomatoes. The sauce is ready to use.