This recipe is adapted from versions by Dom DeLouise and my mother. The best thing about this stuff is that it reduces your risk of cancer, per a study done which shows that eating tomato sauce made with garlic which has been browned in a small amount of olive oil three times per week reduced the risk of prostate cancer in men by more than 30%. The risk reduction increases with intake, so EAT UP! You're not pigging out, you're reducing your cancer risk!

2 [28 oz] cans crushed tomatoes (I prefer Dei Fratelli)
OR 2 quart jars home canned tomatoes
1 6 oz can tomato paste
(1 lb ground beef, optional)
1 half head (not clove) of garlic
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon ground black or white pepper
1/2 teaspoon thyme
(1/2 onion, optional)

(Brown ground meat in a medium skillet. Drain.) Heat olive oil in large enameled or teflon coated pan over medium heat. Metal pans affect taste, and aluminum is a definite NO NO. Puree garlic (and onion) in food processor or blender. Lightly brown garlic (and onion) puree in olive oil.

Add tomatoes and tomato paste. (To get tomato paste out of can: remove both top and bottom with can opener and let the paste slide out of the can. Much easier than trying to scoop it out.) Stir well.

Lower heat when sauce begins to simmer. Stir with a wooden spoon every 10 to 15 minutes to prevent burning. If using home canned tomatoes, crush tomatoes against side of pan while cooking. Cook for about 30 minutes. (Add ground meat.) Cook about 30 more minutes. Add pepper and thyme. Cook ten more minutes.

TIPS AND VARIATIONS: Add pepper and thyme during last 10 minutes of cooking. The timing is important here-- add the thyme earlier and you'll lose its flavor, add the pepper earlier and it drowns out all the other flavors. I also sometimes add oregano, which can be added at any time during cooking. To make pizza sauce, double tomato paste. To make vegetarian sauce, leave out the meat. I have tried making this sauce with ground turkey instead, and we thought it was terrible. I have, however, made delicious versions by cooking lamb neck slices or chicken breasts in the sauce instead of the ground meat. Just brown first and cook as usual.