Recipe: Italian Sausage in Sauce with Peppers, Onions, and Mushrooms

Italian Sausage
(6 servings)

1 1/2 lb Italian sausage, cut into Links
1 Oil
1 small Onion, diced
1 large Green pepper, diced
3 large Cloves garlic, sliced
16 Oz. csn Tomato sauce or whole Tomatoes, smooshed
6 Oz. csn Tomato paste
1 tsp Sugar (to cut acidity of Tomatoes)
8 oz Red wine
1 large Bay leaf
Plenty oregano, basil, Marjoram
Pinch each thyme, rosemary
Dashes ground fennel, red Pepper flakes (optional)
Lots Parmesan cheese
6 oz Fresh mushrooms, halved or quartered
1-2 slices American cheese (I Know, heretical but good)

In a dutch oven, brown the sausages well (still in their casings) in a little olive oil. Use tongs to remove sausage to top of pot lid. Drain off fat if necessary, leaving about 1 Tbsp in pot.

Toss in onion, green pepper and garlic and stir to coat, scraping up the brown bits from bottom of pot. Let cook for about 2 minutes, just until the onion and pepper begin to soften (do not brown).

Return sausage to pot and stir in tomatos or sauce, paste, sugar, wine, seasonings and Parmesan. Simmer for 45-60 minutes.

Meanwhile, saute mushrooms in a dab of butter, dash of olive oil, sprinkle of marjoram or basil and paprika. Add the mushrooms and any juice in the pan to the saucepan during last 15 minutes of cooking. Add optional American cheese a few minutes before serving, let melt & stir in. This really mellows out the sauce.

Tips: You can brown pork shoulder blades or spareribs along with the sausage. Gives a great flavor and provides a 2nd meat course if you're having company. Use more or less wine, depending on whether you're using whole tomatos or sauce. Just aim for a nice thick sauce. Leftovers make great sausage sandwiches. I freeze mine a lot for quick meals later.