Victory Sauce

This evening called for a clean and bright sugo.  It was a day of great reckoning on the kickball field, one where I had a slide, a killer catch and a perfect line-drive whomper of a kick over the fingertips of the 3rd baseman.  It was cause for celebration.  Our team prevailed and I had never felt such immense contact satisfaction.  Thus, the sauce was a victory sauce.  This tomatoey goodness will make you a winner too, just go ahead and play it.

Victory Sugo:

serves 4 

1 can tomato paste

1 ( 240z.) can plum tomatoes

1 glug red wine

1 glug olive oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1 lg. onion, chopped

1 carrot, shredded

1 tsp dried basil

1 tsp dried oregano

pinch of dried thyme and rosemary

1 3-4" red chili pepper, cut length-wise in thin strips

sprig of fresh basil

Put all ingredients in crock pot and mash with your fingers to incorporate.  Set crock pot to high and cook 4 1/2- 5 1/2 hours or on low for 8 hours.  Remove the wilted sprig of basil as best you can.  Blend slightly with hand blender if you like it smooth (we did tonight) or leave it chunky style -- whatever you prefer.  It's fantastic either way.  Your house will begin to smell like dirty yumminess after the first 2 hours -- "it's a good thing," as Martha would say.  If you are a willful beast and can wait a day, the sauce gets even better!  I can never hold out, I just use the leftovers for pizza or on a sandwich, highly recommend this!