This is by far the best thing I’ve made in a while. I spent so much time nursing and caramelizing those peppers and onions, it was destined for greatness. But when the time came to add the sausage, I was positive I ruined it. I had never actually worked with fresh, uncooked sausage before, and I smelled it to make sure it was good. I was convinced those flavors were not going to meld well with the heavenliness of the caramelized, winey goodness that I’ve been nurturing so dearly in my pot. But I went for it anyway. When the sweet and subtle smells of the veggies and wine were suddenly enveloped by the fragrant italian porkiness, my confidence in the dish was thwarted.
I geared up for a solid “meh”, and took a bite to analyze my work… Remember the scene in Space Jam when Bugs Bunny see’s Lola for the first time? It was like that. I took another bite…and another one. and another one. I had to leave the kitchen so it could cool before I ate the entire pot. I decided to serve the sauce with the fresh pasta I made with the KitchenAide attachments I bought for Christmas. The pasta recipe is en route, so keep an eye out for that. In the meantime, this sauce can easily be served with a store-bought fettuccine or pappardelle.
- 10 oz button or cremini mushrooms, sliced
- 2 cloves or garlic, minced
- 1 T butter
- 1 medium spanish onion, diced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, halved and sliced
- 1 orange bell pepper, cored, halved and sliced
- 1 yellow bell pepper, cored, halved and sliced
- 3 Roma tomatoes, peeled
- 1 cup white wine, (I used chardonnay)
- 5 sweet italian pork sausages, casing removed
- red pepper flakes, to taste
- salt and freshly cracked black pepper, to taste
- flat leaf parsley, chopped, for garnish
- As to not overcrowd the mushrooms, sauté in batches over high heat in canola oil until tender and almost crispy. Add a pat of butter and a pinch of the minced garlic. Cook for about a minute more, season with salt and pepper and strain through a strainer to remove the execs fat. Wipe down the pan and repeat. Set aside.
- In a large pot over medium heat, add about 2 T canola or olive oil. Add the onions and bell peppers and stir constantly until tender. About 20 minutes.
- Add the peeled tomatoes by crushing them with your hand. Cook for about 3 minutes more.
- Add the remaining garlic and cook for about a minute or until aromatic.
- Pour in the chardonnay and reduce until dry.
- Add the sausage and break it up with the spatula. (you could also cook them first and put it aside to brown the sausage and develop flavor, but I wasn't trying to dirty a ton of dishes and this worked perfectly for me)
- Season with salt, pepper and crushed pepper flakes to taste. Refrigerate overnight to develop flavor if desired. (If you do decide to do this, reserve about a cup of the starchy cooking liquid from your pasta and reheat the sauce in a pot. Otherwise it may be too thick to coat the fresh pasta after it is cooked)
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