SUNDAY {Super Bowl}
I am not going to muddle this simple recipe with a bunch of verbiage. Suffice it to say that this is peasant food at its best. Sausages, vegetables, herbs, a bit of olive oil & some heat for a good hour will deliver a soul satisfying meal. Its range spans from sausages in sauce served on a toasted bakery roll, served with a cold beer on Friday night to sausages and vegetables served over fresh pasta or polenta, with a side of rich Chianti or Barolo, for a Sunday dinner. It’s easy, home cooking that will not only please a crowd but also an intimate gathering of friends.
I first learned about this recipe, in sandwich form, from my mother-in-law years ago. She always cooked up a batch of sausage and peppers for Michael and his friends when they congregated at their house to watch football, soccer, basketball, etc. during the high school and college years. Michael, friends {from high school, college and “real life”} and the kids {and their friends} love this mixture and we serve it in sandwiches, over pasta and, in it’s simplest form…as a stew with crusty bread.
It doesn’t take much…all of the necessary ingredients are right up there. Fresh bell peppers, onion, tomatoes, garlic and herbs {I used oregano, parsley and basil}. And, of course, the sausages…I always use a mix of spicy & mild Italian sausages…for this dish, try and source the best possible, handmade sausages you can find. It is the one ingredient that can take this dish from the weekday to the weekend. The overall taste is just fine with market sausages but the flavor goes through the roof when you use fresh links from the butcher.
As for the vegetables…large red and green bell peppers…
And some tomatoes {I used cherry tomatoes for this dish but, when in season, off the vine heirlooms are quite wonderful}…
Along with a large yellow onion, fresh garlic and plenty of herbs…
Provide a savory bed upon which the sausages roast until golden brown and swimming in a bath of rich vegetable juices and olive oil…
Dinner is ready in under an hour…
- 3 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
- 1 red bell pepper, cored + diced
- 1 green bell pepper, cored + diced
- 1 yellow onion, peeled + diced
- 5 garlic cloves, peeled + minced
- 1/2 cup freshly chopped herbs {I used oregano, parsley + basil}
- Coarse sea salt & freshly ground black pepper
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 12 Italian sausage links {spicy or mild, your choice}
- Bakery sub rolls, toasted, for serving
- Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
- Toss the tomatoes together with the onions, peppers, garlic, fresh herbs, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
- Place the vegetables in the bottom of a baking pan or casserole dish, then place the sausage links on top of the vegetables and bake for about 20 minutes.
- Turn the sausages and prick them with a fork and return to the oven for an additional 20 to 25 minutes or until the sausages are cooked through and are golden brown.
- Meanwhile, toast the bakery sub rolls until golden brown. Spoon some of the tomato mixture into a toasted bakery roll and place a sausage on the tomato mixture and serve hot.
