3 cups onion, finely diced
4 tablespoons garlic, minced
3 tablespoons olive oil
½ cup dry red wine (I used a reasonably priced Cabernet Sauvignon)
2 28 oz cans San Marzano tomatoes
2 6 oz cans tomato paste
2 cups chicken stock [A great recipe for chicken stock here]
¼ cup + 1 tablespoon fresh basil, minced
3 teaspoons fresh thyme
3 large pinches of Kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon dried sage
Heat a 5 ½ to 7 quart Dutch oven over medium heat until hot. Add olive oil, swirling to coat. Saute onions and garlic until the onions are transluscent. You don’t want to brown them.
Add the red wine and stir with a flat wooden spatula until the wine has reduced slightly, about 2 minutes.
Add all of your remaining ingredients, bring to a slow boil then reduce heat to low and simmer sauce, covered, for 4 to 8 hours; stirring occasionally. You can add more chicken stock if the sauce gets too thick. I like a thicker sauce, so I allow mine to reduced for the last hour with the top off.
After about 2 hours, I like to taste the sauce to make sure it doesn’t need any additional seasoning.
Towards the end of your cooktime, taste the sauce again to see if it is too acidic. If it is and that isn’t your thing, you can add 1 tablespoon granulated sugar to counterbalance that acid. I find it really varies by batch.