Italian Sausage and Peppers

Originally published on March 7, 2014

What’s to say about this classic Italian dish? It’s salty, savoury, and has the tiniest bit of zip from the vinegar you add to the peppers right at the end. Whenever I cook Italian sausages I always boil them first to cook them through, and then grill or saute them to get that ‘snap’ that you must have when eating sausage of any kind. I do know some people are adverse to the thought of boiling any kind of meat so if that’s you, just cook them in the pan until they are cooked almost completely through, remove, and then add them back in at the end for about five minutes to warm them back through and cook them entirely. And the colour of the peppers also doesn’t matter at all – just use whatever you happen to have on hand.

Ingredients:

5 or 6 Italian sausages 
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced 
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 orange bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, grated or minced 
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar 
1 tablespoon dried oregano 
1 tablespoon dried basil 
1 tablespoon dried parsley 
1 teaspoon hot chili pepper flakes 
Salt 
Pepper 

Directions:

1.) Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add sausages and cook for about 10 minutes, just until the sausages are almost completely cooked through. When they’re finished cooking, score sausages (about three scores on each,) remove and set aside.

2.) Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add sausages and sear for just about two minutes on each side to get a nice sear on the casing. Remove from the pan, set aside, and turn heat to medium-low.

3.) Add oregano, basil, parsley, and chili flakes to the oil inside the pan. Cook for just about 30 seconds before adding in this order: onions, peppers, and garlic (the key here is really just to add the garlic last so that it doesn’t burn.) Stir to coat everything in the oil, then cook for about 10 minutes on low heat until the vegetables have softened but aren’t carmalized. Add red wine vinegar and stir.

4.) Add sausages back to the pan, cover, and allow to cook for another five minutes or so, just until the sausages are completely cooked and warmed through.

5.) Place peppers and onions on a large platter, arranging sausages on top.

6.) Serve and enjoy!