Italian Sausage & Peppers

Happy fat tuesday!  It seems fitting enough to share this recipe with you on this day.  It's not one of my healthier fares, but it sure is one of my favorite!  Italian Sausage and Peppers.. Mmmmm.   Takes me to a good place.  This is Italian street fair food at it's best.  Right up there with zeppolis, calzone, broccoli rabe, cannolis and really good pizza.. this is it for me.  My recipe came from Michael and Sharon Coyne, a couple in our church that were amazing cooks.  And it taste exactly like what I would buy every September at the feast of San Gennaro in Little Italy.  September is one of my favorite months for this reason. Well, this and fashion week! Oh, and no tax week. September is just a wonderful time to be in NYC.  Autumn in New York one of the best things in life. 

Back to the recipe.  This is comfort food at it's best. Serve it on good french bread.  I think it needs the crust, otherwise it gets too soggy from the juice.  The delicious juice you will want to sop up.  I have friends that are happy to eat it alone or with rice or even pasta.  That is all good, but the best way for me is on a bread like a sub.  Yes, east coast, more specifically South Jersey.. it's called a sub. 

Recipe Notes...  

Sausage:  It must be Italian sausage.  I prefer Hot.  It's never really that hot, just has nice spice.  Especially here in Seattle.  I buy Iserno's which has no nitrates and is very tasty.  The "hot" is not hot.  In Jersey or NY, the "hot" is nice and spicy hot!  You can use sweet or mild, if you truly are chicken and have to. I kid, I kid.  Speaking of chicken, you can use any variety.. I just don't guarantee the results to be AS good.  I am sure it will be good, though.  It can't be bad! 

Peppers:  normally I do not care for green peppers.  But in this recipe, I love them. Actually, demand them.  I do a mix of red and green.. whatever you have.. it will be delish.  

I forgot to take the end result photo while making this time!  I probably was diving in head first and once you try this, you will see why it was easy to forget the final photo!  But don't worry.. I require this at least once a month, so I will take one and add it next time. (photo is added directly below)

This recipe is perfect for parties.  I love to make it in an old square electric skillet.. my mom had an avocado green one we used growing up.  It works perfectly.  Plus, it can be turned to warm and dished out of for a large group.  It is "guy" food.. they will go nuts for it!  If I had a restaurant, this would be on the menu.  It's classic, delicious and you will keep going back for more. 

Italian Sausage And Peppers (NYC Street food style)

1lb. Hot Italian Sausage

2 T. Olive Oil 

1 very large Onion, cut in half and sliced

2 large Peppers (1 green and 1 red or orange or yellow), seeded and cut into strips (about the same size as the onion slices)

1 c. Chicken Broth

ground Black Pepper

Brown sausage whole according to package directions.  (Isernos is to place sausage in pan with enough water to cover bottom of pan and boil for however many minutes.. remove water and let sausage brown on 2 sides.)

Once sausage is brown, remove from pan and set aside in a bowl or plate.  Add Olive oil and onions and saute 3 minutes over med-high heat.  Add peppers and saute 2 more minutes.  

Slice the sausage on the diagonal.. this is preference.  (At the street fairs they are usually sliced straight into 2" pieces.. I like them a little smaller, see photo below.)

Add the sausage back to the pan with the onions and peppers.  Add any juice from plate or bowl. 

Turn the heat down to simmer, add the chicken broth and lots of pepper.  (When I say lots of pepper, I mean lots of pepper.  When you have shaken what you feel is too much.. shake it about 5 more times!  Seriously.  This makes it.  It simmers into the broth.) 

Cover and simmer for 15 minutes, til juices are reduced by half and thickened a bit.  (You might have to go up to 10 minutes longer) 

Right before serving drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Serve warm on sliced rolls.   

Sausage browning.

Onions, sliced and cooking.  I often use a mix of red and white.

Red seems to hold it's shape better in the end. 

Added peppers, a healthy boost! Don't overcook, 

as they will cook more with the sausage.

I like to slice it on the diagonal about an inch

Add a lot of black pepper. Now add some more.  

More than you think.. it will all work out, trust me.

Ready for the lid.  It will now cook down and become one. 

Stuffed Eggplant

This eggplant recipe is a good "starter" for those and kids who "don't like eggplant".  It simmers with tomato sauce and the result with the addition of cheese.. is simply delicious.  The flavors meld and the eggplant is mild.  I made this last night and for Scarlett's dinner, but baked hers in a casserole dish mixed with cooked penne pasta I had in the fridge.  (If you have learned anything about me yet.. You will know there is always extra pasta made whenever I cook it, so there are plain noodles awaiting a moments notice in the fridge)  Think yummy baked pasta..  This worked really well for her.. she exclaimed that dinner was "awesome" when she tasted it.  Triumph!   
Stuffed eggplant is one of my comfort food recipes from growing up.  Had it first when an Italian friend made it for my family for dinner.  I haven't altered it much, I think.  But I don't have a recipe, just was shown how to make.. so it might be a little different over the years.   This recipe here is the base and I often add more veggies. Carrots, mushrooms, kale and especially when zucchini is in abundance, it can be diced and added in.   You can also add ground meat or sausage for a heartier meal.   And I always like to top mine with a sprinkle of red pepper flakes for some added heat.

Stuffed Eggplant

1 large or 3 small eggplants

4-5 slices of Provolone cheese

Fresh spinach (enough to create bed in base of each)

2 T. olive oil

1 onion, diced

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups tomatoes diced, in juice

1/4 c. bread crumbs

1.5 t. sea salt

1/2 t. fresh cracked pepper

1 t. basil

1 t. parsley

(topping) 

1/2 c. Panko bread crumbs

1/4 c. parmesan cheese

handful of shredded mozzarella

1 T. Extra virgin Olive Oil (plus more for drizzling)

Pre-heat oven to 350º

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the flesh with a spoon, leaving a small bit to keep the shape of the eggplant. 

Dice the flesh into 1" pieces or smaller.  Set aside.  Place shells on a lined baking sheet and line shells with single layer of provolone and spinach.

In a large saucepan, heat olive oil.  Saute onion til becoming translucent, about 3 min.  Add pepper and saute another minute.  Add garlic, saute another minute and add diced eggplant, cook 3 min over med low heat.  Remove from heat and add Tomatoes with juice, bread crumbs, S+P, basil and parsley.

Spoon into shells.  

In a small bowl mix together  panko, parm, mozz and basil.  Moisten with olive oil.  Sprinkle on top of eggplants and drizzle with olive oil. 

Bake for 50 min. Till eggplant is bubbly and tops are lightly brown and crusty. Serve Warm.

Scoop out flesh with a spoon.  

Once you spoon around the edge, using your hand to pull out the center. 

Leave just enough flesh to keep shape of shells. 

Line with Provolone. (mozzarella works well too)

Ready to be spooned in.

Atop spinach and provolone.. mound it up.

Topped with bread crumb mixture and a good drizzle of olive oil. Oven ready.

Italian comfort food. Vegetarian meal, simple and delicious.

Vegetable Tian

This is a good recipe to know when summer produce is plentiful.  There is usually so many squash, zucchini and tomatoes and this puts them to use. Add japanese eggplant when I have it.. kinda like a layered ratatouille. 
Super easy and really yummy.  

The french term TIAN refers to a shallow layered baking dish, like a casserole, and the food within it. Note: in the winter in a pinch I have used tin tomatoes and it works very well... so not just summer food.  Yummy healthy food.  

Summer Vegetable Tian

  2 T. butter (I use 1 T. butter and 1 T. bacon grease, if I have it)  

  1 large Onion, sliced

  1/2 t. Kosher Salt

  1 T fresh Thyme, leaves only (dried works fine too.. but reduce by half)

  2-3 cloves of Garlic, minced
  

Vegetables to layer.... (any of the following)

  Zucchini

  yellow Squash

  Tomatoes (I prefer Romas here)

  Red or gold Potatoes

  Eggplant (optional.. use what you have) 
  

  Salt + Pepper

  Fresh thyme leaves

  Cheese: Parmesan, Locatelli or Gruyere cheese, shredded (grated works fine if you don't have shredded)

  Bread Crumbs, panko (optional) 

  lemon zest (optional)  

  Olive oil, for drizzling

Preheat oven to 375º  
Heat butter in a sauté pan over med heat, add onions and season with salt and add fresh thyme.  Cook until the onion begins to caramelize.  Add garlic and cook for another 2 minutes.   
Meanwhile, evenly slice the vegetables while the onion is cooking. (Make sure the potatoes are sliced thinner than the other veg, so they cook in the same amount of time) 

Spread cooked onion in bottom of a baking dish.  Begin layering (like tiles) vegetables til pan is filled. 
Sprinkle with sea salt & fresh cracked pepper and thyme leaves.  
Top with breadcrumbs, if using, and cheese, zest and drizzle with olive oil. 

Bake for 35 min. or until potatoes are fork tender.  Depending on how you slice your potatoes, this will vary. 

Sauté onions with garlic and thyme.

Slice all veggies into rounds, fairly thin.

Straight from the garden!

Onions are the base, sometimes I add corn to this sauté

You can make it in any dish, just layer away.