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1
Begin by mincing the onion, garlic, celery, carrot, red pepper, and parsley.
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2
Saute them in a quarter cup of olive oil.
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3
Meanwhile, core and cut up the tomatoes.
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4
As soon as the onion has turned translucent, add the tomatoes and a teaspoon or so of salt to the pot and reduce the heat to a simmer.
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5
Cover and continue cooking, stirring occasionally, till the tomatoes begin to fall apart.
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6
Once the tomatoes are cooked, crank the mixture through a food mill, discarding the skins and seeds.
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7
You could also puree the sauce in a food processor.
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8
If you do, you may want to add a half teaspoon of sugar to counter the tartness of the tomato skins.
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9
In either case, check the seasoning and return the sauce to the heat until it has thickened and a drop put on a plate no longer gives off a huge watery halo (depending on how watery the sauce was to begin with, this can take up to an hour).
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10
When the sauce is done, stir in the basil leaves and turn off the heat.
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11
Transfer the sauce at once to clean jars, sealing each from the air by pouring a thin layer of olive oil over the sauce.
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12
Screw the lids onto the jars, and once they have cooled, refrigerate them.
