Sauce for Spaghetti and Pizza

Lori asked about my recipe for sauce. It's one of those "recipes" that I make without measuring anything, but it's also very flexible and forgiving. It's also a very basic recipe, definitely not something that I invented!

Spaghetti Sauce (pizza variation follows)

olive oil (2 to 4 tablespoons; I use EVOO, but any kind will do)
fresh garlic (3 or more cloves, slivered or minced: I'd probably use about 8 cloves)
28 ounce can of tomatoes (crushed, pureed, or strained; see Note below)
basil (about 1 teaspoon dried or about 1 tablespoon fresh)
black pepper, to taste

To slow cooker crock or large saucepan, add olive oil and garlic. Heat gently until fragrant; the garlic should not turn brown.

Add tomatoes, basil, and black pepper. Simmer, stirring as needed, until flavors blend and the sauce isn't too watery. This can be done on the stovetop in less than 45 minutes, or it can simmer in the slow cooker all day.

Note: I prefer the tomatoes from a box. They are more expensive than canned, but they taste fresher. I purchase these on sale and save them for the days when I need or want to make a quicker sauce. For sauce that's cooked all day, the fresher taste of boxed tomatoes isn't as noticeable.

For pizza sauce, I cook the sauce until it's not at all watery (thicker sauce is better for pizza), then stir in a bit of dried oregano.