Marinara Sauce / Spaghetti Sauce Via Bari, Italy

This great yet incredibly simple recipe comes from my friend's mom, Maria Maffei. There is absolutely NO excuse to buy sauce in a jar when you can make this in no time flat. I like to pan fry two pounds of Italian sausage (links, not crumbled), add it to the sauce and let it simmer for up to an hour. NO WINE, NO SUGAR, please. Freezes very well, too. Maria ONLY uses Redpack Crushed Tomatoes in puree or Redpack plum tomatoes which she crushes in a blender, so look for them in your grocer's shelf for maximum flavor. Recipe can be doubled with great results, but tripling, etc... is not recommended.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Yields: 1 batch

Ingredients

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 2  garlic cloves, fresh & sliced super thin
• 28  ounces crushed tomatoes (Redpack brand)
• 1 1⁄2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 2  teaspoons sea salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon pepper, freshly ground

Directions

1. In a 4 quart pot heat olive oil on medium heat and add THINLY sliced fresh garlic. Sauté until garlic becomes very lightly golden on edges. If garlic burns, discard and start again as this definitely affects the taste in a negative way.
2. Add can of crushed tomatoes. Tomatoes should be slightly chunky and not a puree. Turn heat up just a bit until mixture starts to bubble up, but not boil.
3. Place dried oregano in palm of one hand and use other to crush it over the pot. Add in salt and pepper and stir.
4. Lower heat to medium-low and cover pot, simmering for 20 minutes. Check occasionally to stir. Enjoy immediately.