Recipe(tried): Italian Sausage Pasta Salad, Fresh Peach-Raspberry Pie

A nice light make-ahead meal that leaves time to enjoy the pool before dinner.

Italian Sausage Pasta Salad, sliced tomatoes, french rolls and Fresh peach raspberry pie.

This recipe is adapted from one by James Beard

Italian Sausage Pasta Salad
Makes 6 servings

1 1/2 pounds Italian sausage either hot, sweet, or mixture of both
1/2 pound pasta twists
3 bell peppers any color (this time I used one each green, red, and yellow)
1 large sweet onion (such as texas sweet, vidalia or red), quartered and thinly sliced lenghtwise
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 peel the peppers, place on the rack of a broiler pan and broil about 4-5 inches from the heat source until skin is slightly blackened, turning to blister all sides. Remove and place in a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap (Or place in a clean paper bag and seal) and let set to steam and soften for 10 minutes or so. Halve lengthwise and remove all pith, skin and seeds. Slice each half crosswise and then slice lenghtwise into 1/2- inch slices.

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 slices and fry over medium-low heat in the dry skillet until browned and cooked through. Cook and drain the pasta according to package directions.

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. This is not heavily dressed and allows the flavors of the ingredients to predominate.More dressing can be used according to personal tastes.

This pie is an adaptation of a pie from two sources, "The Perfect Pie" by Susan Purdy and David from VA's "My Oh My Blueberry Pie" from this site.

Fresh Peach-Raspberry Pie

2 1/2 cups fresh raspberries
1 1/2 cups fresh peaches, pitted, peeled and cut in small pieces
2/3 cup sugar (I used about a tablespoon less)
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/2 cup water
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice, or more as needed
1 tablespoons unsalted butter

1 refrigeratored pastry crust

Egg wash (1 egg white, 2 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon water, whisked together until frothy)
Roll pastry crust out slightly, and line a 9-inch pie plate. Prick the crust all over with a fork and bake in a preheated oven at 425 F. for 9 minutes or so until it starts to turn color. Lightly brush with the egg white misture and bake again for a couple of minutes. Brush again and bake until the crust is a nice golden brown color. Cool completely.

Mix together the raspberries and cut-up peaches in a bowl amd measure out 1 1/2 cups. In a food processor or using a fork, mash the 1 1/2 cups of fruit. Put the sugar, cornstarch, and water into a saucepan and whisk until smooth. Stir in the mashed fruit and cook over medium-low heat until the mixture comes to a boil and is thick and clear. Stir in the lemon juice and butter.

Stir in the remaining fruit, taking care not to break up the remaining raspberries more than necessary to mixthoroughly. Chill until partially thickened(about 1/2 hour), then spoon into the cooked pastry shell and chill for at least 3 hours to set. Serve with whipped cream, if desired.

makes 1 (9-inch) pie