SAUSAGE****Pepper and Sausage Ragu (Mario Batalli)

By Unblond1

10/09/06 - VG for both and easy to throw together when you want something that tastes like it took longer

Ingredients

• 1 pound Italian sausage (3 sausages), hot or mild or combination
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 3 mixed-colour bell peppers and one large jalapeno pepper, seeded, cored and cut into 1/2-inch strips
• 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
• 1 teaspoon fennel seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried oregano
• 3 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
• Polenta or pasta, to serve

Details

Servings 4

Preparation

Step 1

In a frying pan, cook the sausages in water until the water evaporates and the sausages are browned on all sides, adding a tablespoon of olive oil after the water evaporates, if necessary. Remove, set aside to cool then slice on the diagonal into bite-sized chunks.

In the same pan, heat the oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add the onion, peppers, garlic, chili flakes, fennel and oregano, and cook until soft, 8-10 minutes. Spoon in the tomato paste and stir into the vegetables. Cook until its color darkens, being careful not to burn it. Add the red wine, lower the heat to a simmer, partially cover and cook for 15 minutes.

Return the sausages to the pan, add 1/2 cup of water and bring to a boil, then simmer, partially covered, for 20 minutes, adding water if necessary to keep the consistency of a ragu. Stir in the parsley just before serving.

Prepare polenta, divide among shallow bowls, top with the ragu and serve.

Nutrition Facts - 4 Servings

Calories 339.1
Total Fat 24.4 g
Saturated Fat 9.6 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 3.5 g
Monounsaturated Fat 12.2 g
Cholesterol 64.4 mg
Sodium 886.8 mg
Potassium 443.8 mg
Total Carbohydrate 11.8 g
Dietary Fiber 2.8 g
Sugars 5.9 g
Protein 13.9 g