A light, fresh-tasting sauce with quintessential tomato flavor. Worth stocking up on when tomatoes are dead-ripe and abundant.

6 ripe Italian-type tomatoes
1 cup very finely minced onion
1/2 cup very finely minced celery
1 cup very finely minced carrots
1/2 cup olive oil
1 tsp. sugar
Ground white pepper to taste.

Optional seasoning (any one of the following):
2 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 to 1 tsp. dried marjoram
1 tsp. dried basil
1/4 to 1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 to 2 tsp. salt, to taste

Drop the tomatoes into boiling water, a few at a time. Let the water return to a boil, then remove the tomatoes and drain. Peel and chop. In a large saucepan, cook the onion, celery, and carrots in the olive oil, covered, over medium-low heat for about 15 minutes, stirring a few times. Uncover and stir, over the heat, for 5 to 10 minutes longer, or until the vegetables are very soft and lightly gold. Add the tomatoes, sugar, and pepper and simmer gently, covered, for 15 minutes.

Puree the sauce through the medium disc of food mill. Add the optional seasoning and cook at a bare simmer until a desirable consistency is reached, about 20 minutes, stirring often. Add salt to taste. If you prefer a smooth sauce, work the sauce through the fine disc of a food mill. Cool the sauce and refrigerate it. It will keep, refrigerated, for about a week, or for several months if frozen.
Makes 3 pints.