Special Red Pizza Sauce

This pizza sauce is a classic–a little bit of sweet, a little bit of spice, and rich tomato flavor. It is seasoned with some basil, oregano, bay leaf, and fennel seeds, which add a very nice layer of flavor to the sauce. Depending on your taste, you can omit the celery, red pepper flakes, and the fennel seed, but I sure would encourage you to try them in your sauce once first to see if you like it. You can also use chopped canned or fresh tomatoes in place of the tomato sauce if you’d like.

2  tablespoons olive oil 
1  tablespoon butter 
1/2  cup onion, chopped 
1/4  cup celery, chopped or 1 teaspoon celery salt 
1  garlic clove, minced 
1 (8  ounce) can tomato sauce 
1 (6  ounce) can tomato paste 
2  tablespoons grated parmesan cheese 
1  teaspoon dried basil 
1  teaspoon dried oregano 
1  teaspoon salt 
1  teaspoon sugar 
1/4  teaspoon black pepper 
1  small bay leaf 
1/2  teaspoon fennel seeds
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

In a large skillet, melt butter with the oil. Add the onion, celery and garlic and saute until soft and transparent. Add the tomato sauce and tomato paste and stir until smooth. Add the remaining ingredients and bring to slow simmer. Simmer for 30-60 minutes, stirring often. If the sauce is thicker than you would like, add water a small amount at a time until it is the desired consistency. Remove the bay leaf and spread the sauce on your prepared pizza dough. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover sauce. Hint: If you like your sauce smoother without chunks, place the onion, celery, and garlic in a food processor and process until it is finely chopped before sauteing them.

Quick and Easy Red Pizza Sauce
This sauce is easy to mix up and requires no cooking, making it easy to whip up in a hurry without having to stand over a hot stove. You can vary the thickness of the sauce by changing the amount of water used. If you like a very thin sauce, increase the water. To get a thicker sauce, decrease the water. Although you can use this sauce right away, it benefits from some standing time to let the flavors blend. How long you leave it before using it is up to you and your individual taste.

1 6-oz. can tomato paste
1 cup of water
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon sugar

Blend together the tomato paste, water, and olive oil, mixing well to combine. Add in the seasonings and the sugar and mix well. Let stand several hours to blend flavors. Refrigerate or freeze any leftover sauce.