Marinara Sauce

Prep the tomatoes. Crush the tomatoes in a bowl with a potato masher or your hands. Or, for a smooth sauce, pass the tomatoes through a food mill, discarding the solids. Pour a little water into the empty tomato cans and swirl it around to gather up any bits of tomato pulp or juice. Add this to the tomatoes and set aside.

Sizzle the aromatics. Pour olive oil into a deep skillet or wide saucepan and add the garlic cloves. Cook on medium-low until the garlic is just beginning to sizzle, about 2 minutes. Press down on the cloves to release their flavor but don't let them brown or they will make the sauce bitter. Discard the garlic or leave it in—your choice. Stir the chili pepper into the infused oil. If using fresh minced chili pepper, let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes to soften slightly.

Add the tomatoes. Pour the crushed or milled tomatoes into the saucepan. Watch out for spatters as they hit the hot oil. Stir in oregano, along with salt and sugar.

Simmer and finish. Bring the sauce to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower the flame to medium-low and let the sauce simmer gently, uncovered, for 25 minutes, until it is thickened and oil has just begun to pool on the surface. Taste and add a pinch more oregano or salt if needed and simmer 5 minutes more. Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir the basil.