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*Sometimes we spice it up by adding some fresh chopped hot peppers from our garden
Cook chopped onion and garlic (and optional fresh chopped peppers) in oil in a large saucepot until tender; do not brown. Process quartered tomatos through a food mill (we find that a Victorio Strainer works best - it peels and cores the tomatos in one step). Add tomatos, oregano, bay leaves, salt, peppers, and sugar to onions and garlic. Simmer uncovered over low heat about two to three hours, stirring frequently to prevent scorching, until sauce thickens.
Prepare home canning jars and lids according to manufacturer's instructions. Be sure to remove bay leaves from sauce before canning. Carefully pour hot sauce into jars, one jar at a time, leaving 1/4-inch head space. Wipe jar rim clean, place lid on and screw band down evenly and firmly. Place closed jar in canning bath. Repeat for each jar. Process pints 30 minutes in a boiling water bath canner.
Yield: 5 pint jars.Note: We usually double or triple this recipe to make all the work worthwhile (of course, it takes a lot longer to cook the sauce down)! We prefer to can in quart size jars rather than pints, and the larger volume produced by tripling this recipe makes that possible.
