Mariner means sailor, but it's the sailors' wives who would wait for their husbands to return home that gave this sauce its name. It's fresh and delicious, but the best part is that it can easily be made while you're pasta water is boiling. The traditional marinara sauce calls for oil, garlic, slices of peeled fresh tomatoes, and fresh basil, cooked for about 20 minutes. It's fabulous sprinkled with grated cheese. Mamma's Marinara Sauce takes a little longer to cook. I guess Papa's ship was further out. And Mamma's nontraditional addition of sun-dried tomatoes really enhances the taste.

4 tablespoons olive oil 5 garlic cloves, minced 2 28-oz. cans ready-cut peeled tomatoes or   5 pounds fresh tomatoes, peeled and sliced 1 6-oz. can tomato paste 4 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes, chopped 10 fresh basil leaves pepper grated cheese

In a deep 10-inch frying pan, heat the olive oil and gently sauté the garlic. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and sun dried tomatoes.

Put on medium for 20 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Tear basil leaves into small pieces and sprinkle on top after adding to pasta. Add pepper and grated cheese top taste.

This sauce is fabulous with fish, scallops, shrimp, or boiled chicken, etc.

Alternative: Add 1 medium onion finely chopped, and sauté the onion with garlic until limp.

Note: If fresh tomatoes are used, put them in a pot of boiling water for about 10 seconds until the skin can be easily peeled off. Discard skin. Cut tomatoes into pieces and add to frying-pan mixture. Add tomato paste and sun-dried tomatoes.

Makes about 2 quarts of sauce.

From Eat This page 120
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"I usually make Mamma's sauce, but when I'm
pressed for time I ask for divine intervention"