Basic Tomato Sauce

Long time readers are probably wondering two things:
1. Does the BCC only cook Asian food?
2. Does the man own a pot other than his trusty wok?

The answer? A resounding "YES!" to both questions. This post will prove it.

I am giving you my recipe for basic tomato sauce. I'm not going to delve into the endless permutations because I have homework to do but I'm sure my creative (and sexy!) readers can come up with their own ideas.

You will need:
1 Onion
1 pack (approximately 1 lb) of Italian Sausage (sweet or hot, it's your choice...a mix is also nice)
A clove of peeled garlic
28 oz. can of diced tomatoes in juice
1 can of tomato sauce (see attached picture for details)
1 can of tomato paste


Dice up your onion.

I like to quarter the sausages but this is optional.

Heat up a pot and add some olive oil. Toss in the diced onion. Smash a clove of garlic with the palm of your hand and toss that in the pot. Add a pinch of salt. Cook over medium heat until the onion is soft and translucent.

Toss in the sausage and saute for 2 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons of tomato paste and stir. Try to distribute the tomato paste as evenly as possible. Continue cooking the onion/sausage mixture for a few more minutes. Be careful that you don't burn the mixture. If you think it's starting to burn, stir vigorously and take the pan off the heat for a few seconds. You should end up with a fragrant, rust colored concoction.

Add the diced tomatoes and tomato sauce. Add a cup of water. Give it all a good stir and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat until you are at a bare simmer. Toss in a teaspoon of salt. Continue to simmer for about 20 minutes.

At this point, it's time to taste for seasoning. I prefer a fairly sweet sauce so I add about 2 tablespoons of sugar. I also add a good hit of salt but you should taste and add, taste and add. At this point, you're done!

A note about the meat. I know that 1 pound of meat isn't very much but the BCC is health conscious and tries not not to overdo the animal proteins. If you want more meat in your sauce, by all means add more sausage or ground beef or whatever it is you like.

Final tally: About 30 minutes from start to finish.

Food cost:
Sausage- $3.00
Tomato Products- $3.25
Onion- $0.15
Total- $6.40

Should serve 4 people. And like I said..I know this is plain! I don't wanna hear any complaining about how bland this looks. However, I would love to hear what you guys like to add to your tomato sauces...leave a comment!