One tome, I got it in my head that I was going to make the best pasta sauce I'd ever made. BI had read multiple recipes, and had heard about the Italian wives who simmered their sauce all day, and how it made the sauce so rich and good. I started my sauce the night before, seasoning it just right. I transfered it to the slow cooker and let it simmer while I slept. When I woke, the house smelled amazing. With great anticipation, I tried the sauce. To my dissapointment, it was very bland. All of those wonderfula aomatic herb and spice flavors had evaporated. This sauce was for a pot luck at work
I reseasoned it and took it to work. When I got there, I again simmered the sauce until linch time. When lunch came, everyone told me how great it smelled. Again it was bland.
The moral of this story is that simmering breaks down the fresh tomatoes, and will tenderise the meat. Hoever, herbs and spicrs are best added in the last 20 minutes of cooking time. And remember, some of the flavors must be extracted in hot oil as they are fat soluble.
I have found that after the sauce has the consistancy and flavor you want, placing it in a covered container, and letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours, or overnight, will allow the flavors to blend, giving you an outstanding sauce. So be careful with long simmers. They have their purpose. Just don't cook away the flavor.
Seeeeya; Chief Longwind of the North