Basic Italian  
(Spaghetti Sauce) 
Red Sauce/Gravy  from pizzatherapy.com

Tony Sirico, of The Sopranos,
when asked what he remembers about his Mom's Best Meal:

"Macaroni, meatballs, gravy- you guys call it sauce. Forget about it...I want peasant food." Parade Magazine 11/11/07

 Hints and Tips

•  Allow your sauce to cook as long as possible, at least 1-2   hours or longer. The longer it cooks, the better it will be.
• Depending on the type of tomatoes you use, your sauce may be to thick or to watery. If to thick, add a little water. If to thin, simmer uncovered, until it thickens.
•   Always make more than you will use for the meal. You can easily freeze the left over sauce. Use extra for pizza, eggplant Parmigiana or as a basic ingredient for barbecue sauce.
•   If you have any meat, you can add it to the sauce for extra flavor. You can use chicken, veal, lamb, pork or meatballs.
•   Use fresh herbs and spices, if possible. They will make any sauce taste vigorous! If you use dried herbs, place in your hands and rub your hands together. Then, sprinkle into the sauce. This seems to unlock the flavor of the spices!
•   Go easy on the salt, canned tomatoes already have salt inside.
• You can use fresh tomatoes for your sauce. The tomatoes should be very ripe. Blanche the tomatoes in some boiling water and remove the skin. Puree in a blender or food processor. Some people like to remove the seeds of the tomato by straining. I just use the whole tomato.
• I usually don't use oregano in my sauce. (Sometimes, I do, though.)
  Be careful about how much spices you add! Oregano can be a strong spice!
•   If you added to much spice, don't worry. Just dilute your sauce with another can or two of tomatoes.
• If you use stewed tomatoes, make sure you crush them with a fork!

You can also use a food processor. Here is what I recommend:  Cuisinart DLC-10S Pro Classic 7-Cup Food Processor or for larger jobs: Cuisinart DLC-2009CHB Prep 9 9-Cup Food Processor, Brushed Stainless

These are both great! I have had my Cuisinart for many years. It is a workhorse. And when you get one it is a lifetime investment. Get the Cuisinart at a big discount below. Check out the price:

• You can discover Italian Recipe Secrets, at the Happy Italian Cook Book