Recipe(tried): Italian Sausage Pasta Salad

This originally came from James Beard. The original recipe calls for 6 links of sausage, however the Italian shop I buy from makes 10-12 ounce links. I use about 1 1/2 pounds. You can adjust for your tastes. To easily peel the peppers, cut them in half and arrange cut side down on a broiler pan. Broil 5 inches or so from heat until skin is well blistered and blackened. Place in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap (or put in paper bag and seal top). Let set for 10 minutes to soften. Remove peel, seeds and stems, then slice.

Italian Sausage Pasta Salad
Makes 6 servings

1 1/2-2 pounds Italian sausage either hot, sweet, or mixture of both
1/2 pound pasta twists
4 green peppers, roasted, peeled and cut into strips (I sometimes use 2 red and 2 green)
1 large sweet onion (such as texas sweet, vidalia or red), quartered and sliced thin
1 (19 ounce) can kidney beans, rinsed and drained
3 hard-cooked eggs, quartered
3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley
1/4 cup olive oil
3 tablespoons wine vinegar
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
freshly ground pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried oregano

To Cook the sausages, prick the skins with a fork, put them in a skillet with water to cover, bring to a boil, reduce the heat and poach for 2 minutes. Drain off the water, slice the sausage into 1/2 inch links and fry over medium heat in a dry skillet until browned and cooked through. Cook and drain the pasta.

Combine the sausage, peppers, onions, pasta, kidney beans, eggs, and parsley in a bowl. In a second bowl combine the olive oil, vinegar, garlic, salt and pepper, and oregano. Beat vigourously with a fork and pour the dressing over the salad, tossing gently as you do. Let everything mature in the refrigerator for a few hours.