Rosemary Marinara Sauce

Rosemary Marinara is the perfect sauce for Chicken or Pork Parmigiana, adding to the overall richness of those dishes without masking or overwhelming the chicken or pork.  Rosemary Marinara also great as the sauce for spaghetti or angel hair pasta for an easy dinner.  The rosemary adds a deep, herbal element to an otherwise simple marinara sauce which has been enriched with dry red wine.

Prep Time: 10 minutes, Total Time: 50 minutes Provides sufficient sauce for 4 chicken or pork parmigiana cutlets. Serves 4 as a pasta sauce.

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Ingredients:

• 1 Bay leaf, preferably fresh
• 1 Tb fresh Rosemary leaves, minced
• 4 Tbs Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• ½ Tb Garlic, minced
• ¼ tsp Crushed Red Pepper flakes
• ¼ tsp Coarse Sea Salt
• 1 28-oz can Crushed Tomatoes
• ½ cup dry Red Wine
• ½ cup Water

Preparation:

1. Rinse the rosemary sprigs and gently strip the leaves from the stems pulling backward from the growing tip to the base of the stem, discard the stems. Mince the rosemary leaves and set aside in a small bowl.
2. Pour the extra virgin olive oil into a 3-quart saucepan.
3. Add the minced garlic and rosemary leaves, crushed red pepper flakes and sea salt to the saucepan, swirling to mix with the olive oil, and sauté over a medium heat until the garlic is golden-brown.
4. Add the crushed tomatoes, bay leaf, red wine and water to the sauce pan, stir and simmer the sauce, uncovered, for 30 minutes; the volume will reduce slightly.
5. Remove from the heat and keep covered until ready to use. Remove the bay leaf and discard prior to use.

Notes:

• Rosemary Marinara can be made earlier in the day or even a day prior to use; in the latter case, put the sauce in a container and refrigerate it, returning it to room temperature prior to use.