Instructions: In a saucepan melt the butter and cook the onion until soft but not brown.

Stir in the flour off the heat, pour in the stock and tomato juice, if using, and bring to a boil, stirring. Add the tomatoes, garlic, bouquet garni, sugar and salt and pepper to taste and simmer, uncovered, for 30-40 minutes for canned and 45-60 for fresh tomatoes, or until the tomatoes are very soft and the sauce is slightly thick. Work the sauce through a strainer, pressing well to extract all the tomato puree, and return it to the pan. Reheat it and if necessary reduce it to the consistency of thin cream. If the sauce has been made from fresh tomatoes and a darker color is desired, add the tomato paste. Taste the sauce for seasoning.

NOTES : Unless fresh tomatoes are ripe and glowing red, tomato sauce made with cnned Italian-style tomatoes has more flavor. The recipe makes about 2 1/2 cups sauce.

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