ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

#SIAintheKitchen

I love Italian sausage and peppers, I never knew about this dish until I was dating my Italian-American ex (oh, how long ago this was!).

It was 2014 and he had flown me out to Chicago to join him for the weekend (he lived in Nashville at the time and I, in Vancouver, Canada). We were right downtown within the Loop and were craving Italian. There is a huge population of Italian folk in Chicago so it seemed like the right thing to do. No, we didn’t want deep-dish pizza. We just wanted something home-y and comforting - old school Italian, red checkered tablecloths and all. We ended up going to the Rosebud and started off with Italian sausages and peppers. I don’t even remember what I had for my entree because I was so enamoured by this dish! I knew that once I returned to Vancouver, I had to make it at home.

That was 6 years ago and I have made this dish several times over. It’s a favourite, for sure.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS - serves 4 - 6

• 6 italian sausages

• 4 tbsp vegetable oil

• 1 onion, sliced

• 1 head garlic, minced

• 1/2 tsp dried red chili flakes

• 1 yellow bell pepper, sliced

• 1 orange bell pepper, sliced

• 1 red bell pepper, sliced

• 1 cup dry white wine

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• freshly-ground black pepper, as needed

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• handful fresh basil, chiffonade

1. In large cast iron skillet, heat the vegetable oil over medium heat until glistening. Add in the sausages and begin to brown on all sides. Cook for 7 minutes or until the sausage is fully-cooked. Remove and set aside.

2. Add a splash more of olive oil if needed. Add in the onions, garlic and chilies and sauté until the onions become translucent and the garlic becomes fragrant.

3. Add in the pepper and toss with the aromatics. Cook for 2 minutes.

4. De-glaze the pan with white wine and season with salt, pepper and oregano.

5. Add the sausages back to the pan, turn off the heat and sprinkle with the basil.