Serves 6 to 8
Notes
I am sure all of you had some version of sausages and peppers, but this one is easy to make and the sausages remain juicy. The idea is to cook the sausages and vegetables separate and then combine them at the end. As much as sausages and pepper seem to be quintessentially Italian, peppers are a new world food and were introduced to Italy only after the discovery of the Americas. Italians quickly made them their own and incorporated them on their table. So when they came to America as immigrants, peppers were abundant and used with excess in many of the Italian American dishes. They are now ubiquitous at every Italian street fair.
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 12 sweet Italian sausage links, about 3 pounds
- 8 garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
- 4 hot pickled cherry peppers, stemmed, halved and seeded (can leave some of the seeds in if you like the heat)
- 3 small onions, peeled and cut into wedges attached at the root end
- 1 pound mixed mushrooms, halved (button, cremini, shitake)
- 3 red, yellow or orange bell peppers, quartered or cut in sixths if large
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Directions
In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage, cover and cook, turning occasionally, to brown all sides, about 10 minutes in all. Uncover, add the smashed garlic and cook until sausages are cooked all the way through, about 10 minutes more. Remove sausages to a plate. Add onion wedges and cover the skillet. Cook, tossing occasionally, until onions begin to caramelize on the edges, about 5 minutes.
Add the mushrooms and bell pepper, season with the salt, stir and cover. Cook, stirring occasionally, until all of the vegetable are tender, about 10 minutes more.
Uncover, increase heat to get the pan juices simmering and cook until juices have reduced and glazed the vegetables, about 10 minutes. Add the sausages back to the skillet. Cook and toss to heat the sausages through and combine flavors, about 3 minutes more.
NOTE: Lidia says once all the vegetables are in the skillet and sautéed, you can.
