Top | Main Dishes

Italian Sausage with Peperonata Sauce

(recipe, Katie Hickey)

Introduction

This is oringinally a Mario Batali recipe, which Mike and I tweaked, and it is awesome. Serve it over soft polenta.

Ingredients

  1. Olive Oil
  2. 1 red onion, thinly sliced
  3. 2 red bell peppers, sliced
  4. 2 yellow bell peppers, sliced
  5. dried oregano
  6. red pepper flakes
  7. 1 can tomato paste
  8. ½ to 1 cup red wine
  9. ½ to 1 cup beef or chicken broth, or water really
  10. Salt and pepepr
  11. 1 lb. hot Italian sausage.

Steps

  1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (with some PAM to make sure ther's enough lubrication. Add the onions and peppers with a pinch of salt, the hot pepper and oregano and cook down over medium high heat for about 15 minutes.
  2. Add the can of tomato paste and saute over medium heat until the color changes to dark rusty brown (about 20 minutes).
  3. [About halfway through the peperonata cooking, saute the sausages in a separate non-stick skillet until browned and cooked through.]
  4. Add ½ cup red wine to the peppers and cook down to deglaze the pan. Add stock and more wine until it looks like the right, thick-saucy consistency. Add more salt and pepper to taste until it's perfect.
  5. Add the sausages to the peperonata sauce and cut the sausages in half (if you want).
  6. Serve over soft polenta, OR cook pasta, and add pasta to the peperonata pot to finish cooking.