Herbed Tomato Spaghetti Sauce

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Title: HERBED TOMATO SPAGHETTI SAUCE
Categories: Seasonings, Italian, Sauces
Yield: 1 batch

2 tb Olive oil
1 md Red onion; chopped
1 md Bell pepper; chopped
2 Or 3 garlic cloves; minced
3 md Carrots; chopped
1/2 lb Mushrooms; coarsely chopped
8 c Chopped fresh seeded
-- tomatoes
-or-
28 oz Canned tomatoes
1 ts Aniseed; crushed
1 Bay leaf; broken
1/4 c Dry red wine
1/4 c Fresh oregano; chopped
1/4 c Fresh basil; chopped
1/4 c Italian parsley; chopped
2 tb Lemon balm; chopped

Saute onion, bell pepper, garlic and carrots in olive
oil in a 4-qt. saucepan until vegetables are tender
(about 10 minutes). Add mushrooms and continue
cooking 2 or 3 minutes more.

Add tomatoes, bay leaf, aniseed and wine. Simmer,
uncovered, stirring occasionally, until sauce thickens
(about 1 to 1 1/2 hours).

Add oregano, basil, parsley and lemon balm; stir and
simmer 15 to 20 minutes longer to let flavors mingle.

Cathy's note: The recipe says nothing about removing
the bay leaf afterward, but this is standard practice
so that any sharp edges on it do not cause discomfort
or physical damage to people.

The editors wrote: "Selecting a basic herb-tomato
sauce from the many, many dozens that were submitted
was [a]...chore. This one edged out many
other...entries for its simplicity, fresh approach,
and the short cooking time after the leafy herbs were
added. While many excellent cooks take the 'less is
more' approach and add only fractions of teaspoons of
herbs, we liked the more assertive style here and the
surprising and intriguing addition of lemon balm
(which cooks out to a mellow hint of not-quite-lemon).
This sauce depends on a greater-than-usual amount of
chopped carrot to cut the acidity of fresh tomatoes."

Recipe from Deborah Sallings of Little Rock, AR in
"Great Spaghetti Sauce Cookoff" article in "The Herb
Companion." Dec. 1992/Jan. 1993, Vol. 5, No. 2. Pg.
77. Posted by Cathy Harned.

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