Tomato sauce - Sugo di pomodoro

An absolute basic of Italian cooking, traditional tomato sauce to accompany pasta and rice or cook meat and fish.
2 cans of tomatoes or 12 fresh tomatoes 6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 large finely chopped onion 1 finely chopped celery stalk a few basil leaves salt 1 tbsp sugar

Heat the olive oil in the saucepan and add the onion. Cook on gentle heat so as not to burn the onion. When golden add the celery and the tomato. Season for salt and pepper and add a tbsp of sugar. Cook on gentle heat for about 30 minutes, giving an occasional stir. It will darken in color and thicken noticeably. Add a few basil leaves and cook another 5 minutes. The sauce is good both left in bits or sieved depending on the dish. If you use and electric blender you should allow it to rest for a quarter of and hour to let the air out before using it. It deep freezes very well and lasts a few days in the refrigerator. N.B. If you are using fresh tomatoes you can either remove the skin immediately or at the end. To remove the skin before cooking, plunk the tomatoes into boiling water for a few seconds, remove them and holding them on the tines of a fork peel them. Use drop tomatoes, if you can find them, or ones that contain less water. If you wish to cook the peel with the tomato you can either sieve it out at the end or blend it into the sauce with the blender. Many wish to keep the peel for its nutritional qualities.