Simplest Marinara Sauce By Batali

With the weekend coming up, I thought it was time to go back to a few basic skills that entail 'simmering'. I know that as a college student there are nights when spaghetti sauce has to be picked up from the grocery store; and, indeed, some of the store-bought brands are excellent! (Rao's and Mario Batali's are some of my favorites, no doubt.)

But, there is something to be said when you make your own--the apartment smells awesome and fresh marinara sauce that's been simmering for the last hour is hard to beat.  It really is, especially this recipe from Mario Batali's Cookbook 'Molto Italiano'.  This is his 'Basic Tomato Sauce', a staple for many of his recipes.

The best part about this recipe is it's dual purpose--Spaghetti with Marinara Sauce, or, Spaghetti & Meatballs--recipe will be posted this weekend.

Equipment:
5 quart sauce pan or Dutch oven
Cutting Board
Knife
Wooden spoon
Blender (i.e. Magic or Nutribullet)

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
1 medium Spanish / Yellow onion, chopped & diced
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 medium carrot, shredded
1 tsp dried thyme (or, ideally, 3 Tbls fresh thyme)
2 (28oz) cans whole tomatoes (or if need be, use pureed from a good brand)

Instructions:
1. Wash Your Hands.
2. Chop and prep all of your veggies.

3. Heat the olive oil in the saucepan on MEDIUM heat.

4. Add the onions and garlic. Cook until onions translucent and slightly golden. Approx 8-10 minutes.

5. Add carrots and thyme. Cook another 5 minutes.

6. Add your tomatoes.  Simmer x 30 minutes on low heat until consistency similar to hot cereal.

7. Season with salt & pepper.
8. Use a protein blender, or hand-held immersion blender, to puree the mixture if using whole tomatoes.

9. Have your pasta waiting with a side of parmesan cheese ready for sprinkling.

10. Remember to keep it simple this year! Keep it real!