Recipe: Pepper Sausage with Grits

Pepper sausage with grits

1 cup grits or cornmeal (white or yellow)
1 teaspoon salt
1 pound Italian sausage (hot or mild), cut lengthwise
2 red or yellow bell peppers
1 green pepper
2 small or 1 medium onion
Freshly ground black pepper

Bring 4 cups water to a boil. Add grits, stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add salt, stir to blend and cook until the grits are very thick, stirring often, 20 minutes.

Cut the sausage in half lengthwise and place flat side down in an unheated skillet. Turn the heat to medium-high and brown. Turn the sausage over and cook another 5 minutes. Remove from skillet.

As the sausage cooks, remove the cores from the bell peppers and cut the peppers in slices (about 1-inch wide) or in (2-inch) chunks. Cut the onions similarly. When you remove the sausage from the skillet, add vegetables and black pepper (add a tablespoon of olive or vegetable oil if the skillet appears dry). Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and browning on the edges. Return sausage to skillet to heat through.

When grits are very thick, spoon them onto a large plate. Top with pepper mixture and put sausages to the side.

Serves 4.

Serve with loaves of French bread that have been cut in half lengthwise, spread with mayonnaise, sprinkled with Parmesan cheese and broiled.