Sausage and Peppers
Vito Corleone would love this.
by Erin Henderson
Perhaps this is a nod to my age, or maybe my hometown roots (I grew up in the Italian-heavy Guelph, Ontario), but I love Italian-Canadian classics.
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Unlike the light and streamlined dishes from the home country, these New World creations are over-the-top in all the best ways: extra sauce, extra cheese, extra spice.... heaping portions of everything.
Of course, these homey, comforting classics came about because, generations ago, famished people looking for a better life found it in the land of plenty and then passed that generosity on to anyone who graced the table.
Count me in.
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Sausage and Peppers
This is largely based on an old David Tanis recipe from NYT cooking.
As luck and life would have it, I’ve slightly adjusted to my preferences (David uses two pots and I think one will do; I use tomato paste when the mood strikes, David does not; I use jalapeños when feeling zesty, David prefers chilli flakes, etc. etc.) and you should adjust to how you see fit.
I made it twice last weekend, once for dinner and used up the leftovers for lunch the next day. No one was mad at the encore.
Makes: I estimate 1 sausage and half a pepper per person. This amount served 6 hungry people well. Your crowd may be different.
Chef level: easy
Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 7 hot Italian sausages
- Water, as needed
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste, optional
- 4 bell peppers, different colours, chopped
- 2-3 jalapeños, sliced, optional (check the heat level of your sausage)
- 2 red onions, chopped
- Salt and pepper, as needed
- 2 Tbsp garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- ¼ cup fresh basil, sliced into thin ribbons
How to Make It:
- In a wide, high-sided frying pan (or rondeau), warm the oil over medium heat. When the oil is warm, prick the sausages a few times with the tip of a knife so they don’t explode, and nestle into the pan.
- After searing on one side for about 5 minutes, add in just enough water to cover the bottom of the pan by a few millimetres. (Be careful of steam and splash back when pouring in water to a hot pan.)
- Flip the sausage over and continue to cook for another 5 minutes or so.
- Remove the sausage from the pan (they likely won’t be done and that’s ok), and scrape the stuff from the bottom, pouring in more water to cover and the optional tomato paste. Stir into an emulsified sauce.
- Add in the chopped bell peppers, optional jalapeños, and onions, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Cover, cooking until soft but still holding their shape. About 10 minutes. Check on this occasionally, adding more water as necessary, to keep a thick, gravy-like sauce in the pan.
- Remove the lid, add the garlic and stir to combine, cooking for another few minutes until fragrant.
- Chop the sausage into bite-sized chunks and return to the pan with any juices.
- Stir to combine, add a splash more water if needed, cover and continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sausages are cooked through.
- Sprinkle in the red wine vinegar and fresh basil, test for seasoning and serve with crusty bread and the chopped salad.
Wine Pairing
A red wine with high acid and moderate tannin works best to cut through the fat of the meat and compliment the tomato notes in the food. I like Barbera d'Alba from Italy, a medium bodied, juicy red with flaours of cherry and light spice from Piedmont.
