Juliet's tomato sauce

This is my version of the ubiquitous marinara. I've refined this recipe over the course of many years since I first started cooking my own tomato sauce when I lived in Rome in 1997. Several of my roommates there were vegetarians, so when I first started cooking tomato sauce, I often used sliced zucchini instead of meat (probably best added near the end of cooking so it doesn't get too soft). I usually serve it with penne. It would also work in lasagna.

1 T olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 to 1 1/2 lb. meat (I use ground turkey, but you can also use beef, sausage, whatever...or no meat at all)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
14 oz can tomato sauce
12 oz can tomato paste
1/2 cup red wine
1 T dried oregano (or less; I really like oregano)
1 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes, or to taste
1 bay leaf

Heat the oil in a large saucepan and sauté the garlic until your kitchen smells wonderful. Brown the meat, add the other ingredients, and simmer for at least an hour, the longer the better. Remove the bay leaf before serving.