Sausage with Peppers and Onions
( Salsicce con Peperoni e Cipolla - Sasizza chi Pipi e Cipudda )
Sausage with Peppers and Onions is not an easy dish to find on Sicilian tables or in restaurants’ menus in Italy. A Neapolitan dish, is the Salsicce and Friggitelli, also known as Friarelli, are sausages and the slender, mild and oblong shaped peppers, mostly fried, hence are called “frying” friarielli in Italian. However in Italy, the sausages are baked, sautéed, or broiled and are served as a main dish; the peppers, mostly fried are served as a side dish. In the USA Sausage with Peppers and Onions is a very popular dish, prepared in home-style Italian restaurants, in street fairs, for dinners and to fill up sandwiches on fresh Italian bread.
It can be quickly and easily made by baking all the ingredients for 1 hour, or by following the recipe we successfully adapted at Joe’s of Avenue U, the Focacceria Palermitana in Brooklyn,NY , in which the sausages and the peppers are prepared separately and then combined to blend the taste of the ingredients. Peppers come in many varieties, colors and different shapes: we prefer the sweet red, yellow and green peppers. We also preferred sweet sausages with fennel seeds. Except for black pepper, we did not use any other herbs or spices because they would overwhelm and take away from the sweet taste of pork, the fragrance of the fennel seeds, and the lovable and delicate flavor of the peppers
Ingredients
For the Sausages
- 2 lb. Sweet sausages with fennel seeds, cut in links
- 1 tablespoon of olive oil
For the Peppers
- 2 tablespoons of olive oil
- 2 lb. assorted color peppers
- 2 small onions peeled and chopped in big chunks
- 1 can (14 oz.) imported plum tomatoes
- ½ cup of white wine
- salt and pepper
Instructions
THE SAUSAGES
Place the sausages in a heavy skillet and add 1 tablespoon of olive oil and enough water to cover ½ of the links, cook uncovered over a medium flame until water is absorbed and fat is rendered, about 10 to 15 minutes. Turn the sausages to cook the other side. Bring the heat to a low and add enough water to cover the sausages ½ way. Move sausages around, to make sure that they are not sticking to the bottom of skillet. Continue braising the sausages in their own liquid and add a few tablespoons of water if it becomes too dry. To check for doneness pierce a sausage with the tines of a fork and look for clear juices; or cut with a knife to make sure that no pinkness remains and the sausages are thoroughly cooked. Set sausages on the side with rendered juices.
THE PEPPERS, ONION AND TOMATOES
Strain the tomato before using it; reserve the liquid to eventually add it in. Place the tomatoes in a small bowl and using a masher or a fork crush and set on the side Wash the peppers and dry with a clean kitchen rag, cut them in half and remove the cores, seeds and any white membranes. Cut peppers in 1/2 inch strips and set on the side. In a large skillet, at a high heat, place the 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the onions, the peppers, salt and black pepper to taste, stirring occasionally. Sauté for about 5 minutes, add the tomatoes and continue cooking for an additional 10 minutes. If the vegetables in skillet get too dry add some of the reserved tomato juice.
THE ASSEMBLY
If you prefer to serve the sausages in pieces, transfer the sausages to a cutting board and slice into 1 inch pieces on a slight diagonal; if you prefer to serve the sausage in links, transfer the sausages into the pan with the sautéed peppers and onions and mix gently. Check for salt; if you want additional taste add some of the sausage juices. Add the wine and keep at high heat, until the alcohol of the wine evaporates. Lower the heat to a simmer and continue cooking to blend the taste and to enhance the flavor of the sausages the peppers and the onions. Simmer, until the peppers and onions are soft and tender. Place in a serving dish and garnish with a few sprigs of parsley. Serve with fresh Italian bread and a bottle of good Californian Cabernet or a Sicilian Cerasuolo wine from Vittoria.