Cruising Rich Tomato Sauce

We went on a Carribean Princess cruise at Valentine's last year. We had a wonderful kitchen tour with delectable appetizers and wines served along the way, ending with a many course sit-down dinner at the end of the tour served by the chef himself. This is one of the exceptional recipes that I collected on this trip. Thank you Princess Cruise Lines, and thank you Giuseppe De Gennaro. If you want a quick & easy recipe, this one's not for you. But, if you want the best you've ever eaten, this may very well be the one. I've created many dishes with this recipe as a base, and all have been spectacular. My DH, who despises eggplant, ate 3 servings of my version of eggplant parmesan using this recipe as a base sauce. When I asked him about this, he said he honestly thought he could eat dirt if this sauce was on it. It really is that good. Great for OAMC as it freezes great and its uses are only limited by your imagination. I've used it on all kinds of pasta, chicken, veal and eggplant parmesans...just about any recipe where tomato sauce would be appropriate. I am guessing at the serving size, as it depends on how you use the sauce in another recipe. Make this when you have lots of time as it cannot be rushed.

• Ready In: 3 hrs 45 mins
• Serves: 24
• Yields: 3 quarts

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup olive oil (divided)
• 2  cups onions, finely chopped
• 1  cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1⁄2 cup celery, finely chopped
• 2⁄3 cup tomato paste
• 1⁄2 cup flour
• 1  cup red wine
• 3  cups  beef stock
• 3 (28 ounce) cans roma tomatoes, peeled & seeded
• 2  teaspoons sugar
• 8  fresh garlic cloves, chopped
• 3  bay leaves
• 1⁄4 cup fresh basil, chopped
• 1⁄4 cup fresh oregano, chopped
•  salt & pepper

Directions

1. Add 1/4 cup of olive oil to a large heavy stock pot and heat gently.
2. Add onions, carrots and celery to pot and saute until translucent.
3. Increase the heat slightly and add the tomato paste stirring constantly until the paste browns.
4. Add the flour stirring constantly until it also browns. You will need to stay right with this and adjust heat occasionally to avoid scorching.
5. Add red wine and gently cook until wine evaporates.
6. Add beef broth, cans of tomatoes, sugar and garlic. Cook for approximately 30 minutes until everything is tender. I usually judge this by the carrots.
7. At this point, puree all ingredients. You may use a stick blender, a regular blender or a food processor. Do it in small batches as this gets very hot.
8. Pour puree back into original stock pot, add bay leaves and the other 1/4 cup olive oil. Simmer slowly for 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally.
9. Add basil, salt & pepper & oregano and allow to slowly simmer for 30 minutes prior to serving. The sauce should be rich, dark and slightly thickened. Remember to retrieve and toss the bay leaves before serving.