My parents always made sausage and peppers to be eaten in a roll: they left the sausages whole, and added layers of sauteed onions and green bell peppers. My critique of this presentation was that the sausages would slide across the roll and splurt out one end or another, usually to land in my lap by way of the front of my shirt.
Several grease stains and many years later, I had dinner at my cousin's house before going to a show, and she told me over the phone she'd make me a little sausage and peppers. She served it to me in a bowl, with clear evidence of TOMATOES in the dish, and no roll in sight. I felt sorry for her, not knowing how to make sausage and peppers and all.
As I ate the bite-sized pieces out of the bowl, I secretly enjoyed the flavors and textures, with the tomato adding a pleasant acidic balance to the dish. I think we ate a little sourdough bread with the meal, using it to dip up the juices at the bottom of the bowl. By the end of the night, my shirt was still stain-free. I've been hooked on her method ever since.
I discovered cute, funky-shaped sweet peppers at the farmer's markets in Los Angeles, and prefer to make sausage and peppers with them, though I'm probably being my usual food snob self there. My favorites are the purple and pale yellow ones I find sometimes; this weekend I bought a small green, an even smaller yellow, and a long reddish-yellow one, along with a few varieties of heirloom tomatoes from the same farmer. I bought a couple of sweet Italian sausages at-- where else?-- Berkeley Bowl, and served this with a seeded Semifreddi's baguette. I don't use any cheese these days, but note that this dish, be it in a bowl or on a roll, is delicious with a very light sprinkling of grated Pecorino-Romano or Parmegiano.
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| Sorry, Dad. |
Sausage & Peppers
Serves 2
adapted from Several Members of the DiStasi Family
2 sweet Italian sausages, sliced into bite-sized pieces
1 cup bell peppers, cut into thumb-sized strips
1/2 cup tomato, cut into chunks
1/2 medium onion, sliced
1 clove garlic
salt, pepper, and maybe a little oregano
1. Saute onion and garlic in a little olive or canola oil over medium heat for 2-3 minutes. Add sliced peppers and saute another 3-4 minutes, until shiny and beginning to soften. I add my salt, pepper, and oregano here but "real" cooks add it at the end.
2. Add sausage pieces. Continue to saute until sausage is nearly done, about 8-10 minutes. Peppers and onions should become soft but not mushy.
3. Add tomatoes and cook another 2 minutes, or until tomato pieces have softened and released some liquid but haven't disintegrated. Sausage should be fully cooked by now.
4. Serve in bowls with warmed baguette, and sprinkle with grated cheese, if desired.
