babadoh ancient cooked tomato sauce

1. warm the olive oil and butter in a saucepan over a medium heat. 
2. roughly chop the garlic and onion and sauté for around 5 minutes until soft and translucent. be careful not to burn the garlic and onion.
3. add salt at this stage to help draw water out of the onions. as my grandfather taught me, the earlier you add salt, the less you'll need. 
4. add the tomato puree to the saucepan, stirring well for about 1 minute. 
5. stir in the crushed tomatoes until everything is well combined.
6. add the fresh basil, dried oregano, sugar, and pepper. adjust the amount of herbs and seasonings to suit your own taste. 
7. reduce the heat to low and let the sauce simmer for about 15-20 minutes, stirring occasionally. this will help the flavours meld together and the sauce will thicken slightly. 
8. taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. add more salt, pepper, or herbs according to your preference. 
9. remove the saucepan from the heat and let the sauce cool down.
10. blend to a smooth sauce with a hand blender. If you prefer a milder basil flavour, remove the basil before blending. 
11. once the sauce has completely cooled, it's ready to spread on your pizza dough.  
12. play around and customise your sauce by adding different herbs, spices, or even some red pepper flakes for a kick of heat.

enjoy your homemade pizza sauce (or whatever else you choose to use it for).