TOMATO GARLIC SAUCE/Salsa Pizzaiola

This is the sauce for The Meatballs! In China, you eat long noodles on your birthday for longevity, and so we ate this with spaghetti.

In a 3-4 quart enameled or stainless steel saucepan heat:

3T olive oil
1 C finely chopped onions

Stir constantly for 7-8 minutes. Add:

1 T finely chopped garlic.

Simmer for a minute, then add:

4 cups Italian plum tomatoes chopped but not drained (canned is okay, but not the kind with basil flavoring and so on).

1 6 oz. can tomato paste

1 T dried and crumbled oregano

1 T finely cut fresh basil (or 1.5 t dried and crumbled)

1 bay leaf

2 t sugar

1.5 teaspoons salt, maybe less if you don't like saltiness

few grindings of black pepper

Bring to a boil and then simmer one hour. Remove bay leaf and serve with meatballs.