Salsa de tomate (pasta sauce)

Ingredients

• la carne (beef ribs, chicken, Italian sausage, etc) whatever you have or like
  
• 1 large can of tomato sauce
  
• 1 large can of whole peeled tomatoes
  
• 2 cans of stewed tomatoes
• 2 onions
  
• 2 heads of garlic
  
• 2 large carrots
  
• 1 large green pepper
  
• wine for deglazing the pot (any leftover wine will work here)

Heat a bit of olive oil in a large pot or french oven
Season the meat with salt and pepper and then brown the meat in your pot
Remove the meat from the pot and set it aside

In a blender, put in 1/2 of the onions, carrots, peppers, and garlic with stewed tomatoes, whole peeled tomatoes, and tomato sauce.

In the pot, brown the remaining onions, carrots, garlic, green peppers.

Add wine and deglaze the pot.
Once the alcohol burns off, add the tomato sauce from the blender.
Add your seasonings (bay leaves,oregano, basil,pepper, sugar, and salt as needed).

Add back the meat and let it simmer. Make sure to stir it occasionally (gently) while it is simmering and use the opportunity to taste and see if it needs additional seasoning. Let it simmer for about an hour. Let it continue to simmer until you see the oil rise to the top (the picture below shows my mom's sauce today when the oil rose to the top).

At this point you can use the sauce or continue to let sauce thicken by letting it continue to simmer.

Prior to using remove the meat and set it aside for serving separately

Tip from mom:

• Let the sauce cool completely before dividing it up for freezing for individual uses or before putting it in the refrigerator. If it isn't completely cooled the sauce will taste sour and be ruined.

Next time we are going to try making it in an electric pressure cooker which should speed things up..

Today the sauce accompanied ravioli's and the meat.