A basic tomato sauce for pasta.
2 onions chopped, 4 cloves of garlic crushed, or 1 tablespoon out of a jar, 2 tins of chopped tomatoes [ we have 400gm tins in the Uk, 10 ounces ] 1 teaspoon of dried oregano or 2 teaspoons of chopped fresh oregano. 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Salt and pepper. Pinch of sugar
Fry the onion slowly in the oil, you do not want much colour on it. When its slightly translucent you can add the garlic and the other ingredients. Simmer gently for about 30 minutes. You can blitz this sauce smooth or leave it chunky. Add your seafood to this basic sauce, clams and mussels only take a few minutes to cook.
To make this recipe your own, you can add to the basic tomato sauce.
Add chopped mushrooms to the pan after the onions have cooked and then follow the basic recipe and you have a fab meatball sauce when blitzed
Add chilli flakes and a few anchovies to the cooked onions and your tomato sauce is going heaven wards when chopped olives and a few capers are added at the end.
Find a no nonsence cook you like, I like Nigella Lawson, she is all about flavour and easy to do for busy people. Stick to their recipes. Looking at more than one persons recipes does confuse and cloud the issue.