Pizzeria Oregano's patented tomato sauce recipe...Shhhhhh, don't tell anyone!

At Pizzeria Oregano we use only the highest quality ingredients. All our sauces are prepared to an authentic family recipe handed down through the generations. The result?  Our food is just like nonna would make it.

Today, head chef Mario shares his recipe for the ultimate tomato sauce. And the secret? It's all in the timings. No tomato sauce worth its salt should take less than 2 hours from start to finish.

Make a big batch of this one Sunday morning and you'll be swimming in the perfect tomato sauce for the rest of the month - it freezes beautifully.

To make a large batch, you'll need:

4x 300g chopped tomatoes - choose high quality brands such as Napolina or Cirio - they really do make all the difference
4 cloves of garlic, crushed
2 onions, chopped
3 tsp sugar
dried oregano
A handful of fresh basil
extra virgin olive oil

1. In a large pan, sauté the garlic and onion in a a few tablespoons of olive oil over a medium heat until the onion has turned translucent.

2. Add the tinned tomatoes and simmer on the lowest heat possible for 2 hours. Do not cover.

3. After one hour, add the a sprinkling of dried oregano and the fresh basil.
4. Towards the end of the cooking time, add the sugar. This is essential for counterbalancing the acidity in the tomatoes.

5. Finally use a hand blender to blitz the sauce into a smooth rich passata.