Simple Tomato Sauce - cooking recipe

Ingredients

1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
2 (32 ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
2 dried bay leaves
4 tablespoons unsalted butter (optional)

Preparation

In a large casserole pot or Dutch over, heat oil over medium high heat.
Add onion and garlic and saute until soft and translucent, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add celery and carrots and season with salt and pepper.
Saute until all the vegetables are soft, about 5 to 10 minutes.
Add tomatoes and bay leaves and simmer uncovered 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 1/2 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.