Marinara Sauce

by James Wilderotter

quantity	ingredient
1/4 cup	olive oil
2 cans	whole, peeled tomatoes for cooking
1 can	whole, peeled tomatoes for cooking that comes with oregano and basil in the can
4 tablespoons	minced garlic
1 cup	fresh chopped basil
2 tablespoons	oregano (add more to taste after sauce is completed)
1/2 cup	proscuitto (optional but an excellent addition)
3 tablespoons	parmesian cheese

Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat.
Add the garlic and saute until white and starting to become translucent (approximately 5 minutes).
Add the 2 cans of tomatoes and the juice from the can and simmer gently over a low heat for at least one hour, stirring until the tomatoes are broken. Stir occasionally. After 40 minutes, start to pull apart any tomatoe chunks to help the cooking process.
Add the basil and oregano.
Allow to simmer for five minutes.
Add one table spoon of parmesian cheese.
Open the 1 can of tomatoes and drain juice into the pan.
Chop up the canned tomatoes and add to the pan.
Allow to cook for about 20 minutes.
Add one tablespoon of parmesian cheese.
Chop up the proscuitto into small pieces and add to pan. (Remember to trim off any fat from the proscuitto and exclude from the sauce).

Notes:
The sauce will remain chunkier than most store-bought sauces, but it will also be much more flavourful. A little of this goes a long way in taste.

I especially liked this over raviollis filled with a basil pesto.