Food Network: Simple Tomato Sauce

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Simple Tomato Sauce
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 (32-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
4 to 6 basil leaves
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, optional

Instructions
In a large casserole pot, heat oil over medium high
heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper. Saute until all the
vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomatoes, basil, and bay leaves and
simmer covered on low heat for 1 hour or until thick. Remove bay leaves and check
for seasoning. If sauce still tastes acidic, add unsalted butter, 1 tablespoon at
a time to round out the flavors.

Add half the tomato sauce into the bowl of a food processor. Process until smooth.
Continue with remaining tomato sauce.

If not using all the sauce, allow it to cool completely and pour 1 to 2 cup
portions into freezer plastic bags. This will freeze up to 6 months.