Anthony's Famous Manhattan Pasta Sauce

This thick tomato sauce recipe was sent to us by Anthony Bellov, an online customer from New York City. He writes:

This vegetarian basic sauce is a favorite of everyone's. It's a versatile sauce that supports any number of additional ingredients (such as cheeses, meats, poultry, fish) to broaden its uses. It’s great on pasta and perfect for lasagna. It freezes excellently, is inexpensive and easy to make. It might not be a sauce for people with a sweet-tooth as it has a wonderfully tart edge to it. People who really need sweet or want to cut the acidity should remove the seeds from the tomatoes prior to cooking and/or add a chopped onion with the garlic. NEVER use green bell peppers - they will completely spoil the flavor. I also don’t use tomato paste as I find it too bitter. Just cook it longer to thicken it sufficiently.

Ingredients:
1 90 oz can (or 3 28oz cans) of Italian peeled plum tomatoes
½ cup red table wine
3 cloves fresh, chopped garlic (or to taste)
¼ cup Olinda Ridge extra virgin olive oil
fresh herbs (use dry if necessary) to taste
basil
oregano
parsley
sage
rosemary
thyme
a pinch of ground coriander (not cilantro leaves)
a pinch of powdered cardamon
cracked black pepper
extra-hot red pepper sauce (optional)

Preparation:
Heat a large sauce kettle (cast iron or stainless) on the stovetop. When the pot is hot (test drops of water should immediately sizzle and evaporate), add the red table wine. It should fizz immediately in order to evaporate alcohol. Cook it down to about half of the liquid and add the garlic chopped. Allow to cook briefly. Add the olive oil and lower the temperature to simmer. Add all the herbs except the cardamon - all herb proportions are to taste, but the major herb should be basil. When the herbs have simmered to softness (about three minutes), add just a pinch of cardamon — this serves as a flavor enhancer.

Add the tomatoes and juice from the can. Stir. Add cracked fresh black pepper to taste and just a drop of the hot pepper sauce (to add zip). Fresh tomatoes are fine, but it takes much longer to reduce them to a suitable thickness.

Cover the pot until the tomatoes begin stewing (approximately 5 minutes), then lower the heat as much as possible while maintaining some bubbling. Leave lid ajar. Be careful not to burn the tomatoes. Periodically mash the tomatoes (use either a hand potato masher or a rotary egg beater). You may leave them mashed or completely liquefy the sauce after it's cooled for a smoother consistency. Let simmer on the stovetop one to two hours until the sauce thickens to taste.

Yield: 12 pasta dishes or 2 lasagna trays