Marinara - Skinned Tomatoes with Style

Ms. Shirley wanted Red Sauce for her birthday, so she gets Spaghetti and Meatballs. I ended up making it twice since I listen to my husband about how many tomatoes to buy. The good part about not buying enough tomatoes the first time is that I ended up with a more realistically portioned recipe. With minimal further ado, Spaghetti with Meatballs for 4-6 people - when they have salad and bread on the side.

Olive Oil
1 Onion, finely chopped
5 Cloves of Garlic, minced
6lb Roma Tomatoes, skinned and crushed
1 Bell Pepper, chopped
1 c Dry Red Wine
1 Tbs Fresh Oregano
1 Tbs Fresh Basil
1 Bay Leaf
Cooked Noodles

Use enough Olive Oil to lightly coat the Onion and Garlic. Cook the Onion and Garlic in the Olive Oil over medium-high heat until softened. Add the Roma Tomatoes; stir to combine; and cook on high heat until the sauce begins to bubble. When the sauce begins to bubble, cover the sauce and turn the heat to medium. Cook the sauce covered for an hour, stirring every 5-10 minutes. After an hour (the previously mentioned hour), remove the cover and add the: Bell Pepper, Dry Red Wine, Fresh Oregano, Fresh Basil, and Bay Leaf. Stir to combine and cook uncovered for another 1 - 2 hours, until most of the water boils off. Serve over Cooked Noodles.

Notes:
One chopped onion, in the south, is generally about 3/4 cup.
The 5 minced cloves of garlic are 1 1/2 - 2 Tbs of Garlic.
To skin a tomato:
Boil enough water to cover the tomato.
Add the tomato.
When the tomato's skin splits, put it in ice water.
Once the tomato is cool enough to touch, the skin should come off.
If the skin doesn't come off, repeat the process.
One chopped Bell Pepper is usually about 1/2 cup.
Dried herbs can be used. For me it's worth the extra money to buy fresh herbs, since it takes 3 hours to make this sauce.

In The Joy of Cooking, I used the "Italian-Style Meatballs" recipe for the meatballs in my "Spaghetti and Meatballs."

Happy Birthday, Ms. Shirley and I hope you enjoy your meal! :)