Italian Tomato Sauce for pasta

 Ingredients

• 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 to 5 cloves fresh garlic (not in a jar, dried, powdered, or frozen) preferably grown in USA/Europe
• small bunch of fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped (my family likes to use parsley in sugo)
• 1 (28-32 oz) about 800g carton/jar of whole, chopped tomatoes or puree (like Mutti, or Bionaturae) any tomatoes listed on the Greatest Tomatoes from Europe site will be fantastic or about 1 lb of fresh tomatoes (San Marzano, Roma or cherry tomatoes are great)
• about 1 1/2 level tsp sea salt
• 3 or 4 large leaves of fresh basil, more to add to each plate, if desired

Instructions

1. Pour the oil into a large saute pan (not a deep pot) over medium high heat. Crush the garlic and add it to the oil (if you want a spicy sauce, you can add some hot pepper, fresh or flakes, at this point). Saute the garlic until it just starts to brown, then add the parsley.
2. Turn the heat up to high. Now add the tomatoes, and quickly cover with the lid for about 30 seconds, until the squirting subsides. Stir with a wooden spoon and lower the heat a little. It is important that this sauce is cooked at a fast simmer, as it is cooked briefly.
3. Add the salt and continue to simmer at a fast pace, and stir often.
4. The sauce will thicken quickly, so do not overcook it, and have it become too thick; about 5 to 7 minutes should be sufficient.
5. Taste the sauce, if it doesn't taste delicious, it probably just needs a little more salt. Turn off the heat and add the fresh basil (I tear mine into pieces). Also, unless absolutely necessary, do not wash your basil. Wipe it with a damp paper towel instead, so the water doesn't ruin the flavor and aroma.
6. Use as desired.

Credit: christinascucina.com