Summa Minutiae

Bay leaf tea

That's my secret to quick Italian tomato sauces - I read about it on a blog somewhere a few months ago. Usually you drop some bay leaves in an all-day sauce so they can simmer and release their flavor. I don't have time for all that so I empty a jar of sauce into a pan & add basil, thyme, pepper, a bit of brown sugar, etc. I'll also fill a small pan with water, drop several bay leaves in it and let it come to a full boil, then turn it down to simmer as the bay leaf fragrance fills the house. When everything else is done, stir the bay leaf tea into your sauce to give it some of that simmered-all-day taste.