New York-Style Pizza Sauce

Ingredients

• 1 can whole peeled tomatoes
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 2 medium cloves garlic, grated on microplane grater
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• Pinch red pepper flakes
• Kosher salt
• 2 sprigs fresh basil with leaves attached
• 1 medium yellow onion, peeled and split in half
• 1 teaspoon sugar

Directions

1. Puree the tomatoes with their juice using a food mill, a few pulses in a food processor, or a hand blender. You want a mostly even texture, but not a perfectly smooth one, with no pieces bigger than 1/16 of an inch. Put the tomato puree aside.
2. Add the butter and oil to a medium saucepan and warm them over medium-low heat until the butter has melted. Stir in the garlic, oregano, pepper flakes, and a large pinch of salt, then cook, stirring often, until the mixture smells wonderful but the garlic has not browned, about 3 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomatoes, basil sprigs, onion halves, and sugar. Bring the sauce to a simmer, then turn the heat down to its lowest setting, so only the tiniest bubbles are coming up at the surface. Cook, stirring now and then, until the sauce has reduced by 1/2, about 1 hour.
4. Remove and discard the onion and basil stems. Add salt to taste. Let the sauce cool, then transfer it to a covered container and refrigerate for up to 2 weeks.