Thursday, December 6, 2012

Sausage And Sweet Peppers

After Susan, at Savoring Time In The Kitchen, posted about Mamma Agata’s Eggplant Parmesan and the cookbook it came from, I had to order one – even though I’m not a big user of cookbooks, preferring your blogs instead.  So for $53, I now have an inscribed copy for us to use and pretend we’re overlooking the Mediterranean from the Amalfi Coast rather than overlooking Tellico Lake from Almost Heaven South, which really isn’t too bad.

Bev had bought a couple of links of fresh-made hot Italian sausage from The Market in Maryville and we had the last of our garden peppers in dire need of being used, so I opted to use Mamma Agata’s Sausage and Peppers recipe, but made the dish with what we had on hand. 
 
Marie over at Proud Italian Cook made the dish back in May if you want to see it made by Mamma’s recipe – I had saved it back then to try.  She also has more and better photos than me.
 
Sausage And Sweet Peppers
Adapted from Mamma Agata

Ingredients:
½ lb. pasta
2¼ lb. sweet peppers (green, red, yellow), sliced lengthwise
3½ T. butter
3 T. EVOO
½ cup white onion, chopped
1 lb. hot Italian sausage
20 oz. fresh grape tomatoes, halved (all we could find)
1½ tsp. dried basil leaves (no fresh on hand)
2 pinches salt
1 cup tomato sauce – our homemade canned version
Canola oil

Directions:
1. Saute peppers in oil until softened, 10-15 minutes, remove and drain on a paper towel.
 
2. Melt butter and EVOO in another pan over low heat, add chopped onion and cook until golden brown.  (I cleaned out and used the same pan).
3. Add the sausage to the pan and sear on all sides, cover the pan, and cook for two more minutes.

4. Uncover the pan and pierce the sausage on both sides to allow the juice to run into the pan and enhance the flavor of the sauce.
5. Add the peppers to the pan and put the sausage on top of them.
6. Add the chopped cherry tomatoes, salt, dried basil, and tomato sauce, cover pan and cook on low for 30 minutes.
7. Remove the sausage, cut into smaller pieces and return to the pan.
8. Meanwhile cook the pasta al dente in salted water, drain and add to the sausage/pepper pan.  Toss and cook for a couple of minutes to marry the flavors.

9. Serve and top with fresh grated parmesan.  (My plated shot was a bust).

For pasta dishes with chunky ingredients, I find shaped pasta easier to eat so I used rotini.  The three of us who ate it all thought it was delicious but mine didn’t look like the other two I’ve seen as my sauce had more liquid – enough that I added the entire pound of pasta I’d cooked.  While I cooked it the specified 30 minutes, I may have cooked it a little too long and should have gone by appearance rather than the clock. 

The sausage wasn’t overly hot and worked very well in the dish.  I had trouble getting it to sear in the onion pan so next time I think I’ll sear it in a little oil before adding the remaining fat to cook the onions.  I’ll remove it while the onions cook than add back at the appropriate time.  It is definitely a keeper recipe and I can only imagine how good it would be made by Mamma Agata - I look forward to the next one from Mamma's book.

I'm now responding to your comments and hoping you will stop back by - photos best if enlarged by clicking on them.

Have a great day and thanks for stopping by Almost Heaven South.

Larry

12/4/12 meal date

29 comments:

  1. What a classic Italian dish Larry. I read the instructions and I can see why you decided to brown the sausage separately next time. In my opinion, sausage does better browning on its own with no other players around. How nice that you had a few of your garden peppers. Tellico Lake will do nicely, very nicely as a matter of fact, if you don't happen to be on the Mediterranean.
    Sam

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    1. Sam - That was the very last of this years pepper crop. Now we're trying to get the potatoes used up before they shrivel up to nothing from sprouting.

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  2. Sausage and sweet peppers always reminds me of my dad. He married an Italian and is not that fond of Italian food... except sausage and peppers, he did love that!!

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    1. Jenn - I'd guess there wasn't alot of exposure to Italian food if your dad grew up in the midwest.

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  3. My favorite could eat this with eggs for breakfast as we do here! Fantastic!

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    1. Claudia - It will be tried here for breakfast this AM.

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  4. It looks delicious, Larry! I'm so glad you got a copy of the book. It made me feel like I was in Italy too :) Good idea to brown the sausages separately too. This is one I have to try.

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    1. Thanks Susan - I'm sure glad you posted about the book so I'd know about it.

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  5. Sausage and peppers is a favorite combination of mine!

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    1. Pam - I think this is a recipe you would enjoy.

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  6. That looks like something I would love. The fact that it had a lot of juice made me think how good it would be to add more liquid (veg broth maybe?) and have it as a soup. Maybe I'm just thinking that because it is so gloomy and cool out.

    You guys feel that shake yesterday? Three earthquakes since Veteran's day weekend, maybe the Mayan's were right, haha.

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    1. Chris - Good idea about the soup. I didn't feel the quake but did the last one.

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  7. YUM... Looks like a dish we would really enjoy. However, we'd use the 'mild' sausage... ha

    Thanks for sharing.
    Betsy

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    1. Thanks Betsy - the mild sausage would work perfectly.

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  8. I can't eat peppers, but the rest of it sounds great...with sweet sausage, in my case!

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    1. Thanks Marjie - My friend, Big Daddy Dave, doesn't eat peppers either and my dad liked them but they didn't like him.

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  9. we usually parboil the sausage 1st till pretty done and then pan fry or grill to get the char - quicker, not so burned and sure to be done!!! TROUT

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  10. I love peppers & sausage. I think this looks & sounds fantastic Larry.

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  11. This certainly is a class flavor combination that hits the spot every time! Peppers and sausage - perfect!

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  12. Love, love, love sausage and peppers. Not to mention, I love a good cookbook too.

    Velva

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    1. Thanks Velva - The cookbook has several things I'll never try but many that we will.

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  13. I'm such a sucker for Italian Sausage. Love it love it love it. Even though I know this would be delicious, I'd rather make it with potatoes than pasta.

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    1. I'm sure it would work on potatoes just fine or gnocchi then it would be potatoes that look like pasta - may try that myself next time.

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  14. This is my kind of comfort food Larry. Italian Sausage is a favorite around these parts. When I go to Boston I love to get Bianchi's Italian sausage- I wish I knew their secret to making it.

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    1. I wish I knew too - I've made my own a time or two but it's not as good as Johnsonville, so I'm in search or a good formula.

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  15. Sausage and peppers is such classic Italian street food. We love ours in a big toasted hoagie/sub-sized bun and love to enjoy it while watching football! We saute the sausage separate to create a more flavorful base in which to then add and saute the veggies. What is the name of the cookbook that you ordered Larry? Thanks!
    Roz

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