Life should have spice and here is a little additional spice for you. The brothers' parents were from different parts of Italy. The winemakers, their father's family, were from the North, their mother's family were from south of Roma. Northern Italian sauce is different from Southern Italian sauces. These are cooked on the stovetop for at least 2 hours to reduce liquids and make a deep, dark sauce. His mother's sauces were fresh tasting, cooked barely 20 minutes.

This is the basic sauce for pasta, polenta, and lasagne. It is best prepared the day before it is used.

1 pound roast, chuck is good for flavor OR 1 pound mushrooms of your choice, Portobello etc
1 brown onion, chopped
olive oil
3-16 ounce cans tomato sauce, see note below
1/2-cup red wine
1-cup water
salt
Additional ingredients to taste. We use:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2-tsp basil
1/2-tsp rosemary
1/2-tsp oregano
The herbs are listed for dried amounts. We use fresh, which would be approximately double what's listed.

Cut the roast or mushrooms into small pieces, put in a heavy saucepan with about 2 T olive oil. Add chopped onion and over medium-high heat, brown the meat, stirring often. Cook until a nice crust on the meat develops or until the mushrooms and onion are very soft and browned. Do not skip this step!

My mother-in-law would add the garlic at the beginning. I add it after to avoid scorching it.  Add the rest of the ingredients.

Note: if you have an abundance of tomatoes, parboil them to remove the skin, do a rough chop, and throw them in to replace the canned stuff. Stir well and reduce heat to a simmer.  We cook about two to three hours. 

Add salt to taste.

It should be very thick. Remove from heat and cool immediately. Refrigerate overnight. Reheat over low heat when ready to use.