>I use
>whole tomotes and press them down with a potatoe masher. Then I add a
>large can of puree...also from Italy...and a small can of tomato paste.

Okay, see, you're using three kinds of tomatoes, none of which is
fresh, and being snobbish about brands besides.

You should pick one kind, preferably fresh but if you have a regional
preference (there are san marzano freaks out there no doubt but if it
says POMI on the carton forget it at any price) go with that.

The really irksome thing is, whole tomatoes PLUS passata PLUS tomato
paste?

They're all the same with different amounts of water (and salt and
other things if you're not reading labels). Just silly. If you're
boiling for hours, go with one and use the time to get the consistency.
If you're time constrained, use passata or crushed and add paste to
get it thicker quicker.

And meanwhile, please don't spam, especially if you cook like you enjoy
spam...