Smothered Italian Sausage
Esta es lo que yo llamo una receta de esas que se comen en la nevera. La preparé una noche sin tiempo ni planes. Abrí la nevera y cogí todo lo que parecía, al menos vagamente, combinar.
- ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil, plus more (optional) for serving
- 8 sweet Italian sausage links (2½ lb/1.1 kg)
- 3 red bell peppers, sliced
- 2 medium red onions, sliced
- 5 garlic cloves, sliced
- 1 bunch broccolini (2 cups/200 g), ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces
- 2 bunches spinach (4 oz./115 g total)
- Crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 28-oz./794-g can crushed tomatoes
- 1 bunch fresh basil (1½ oz./45 g), leaves picked
- 1 12-oz./355-ml jar mild banana peppers, undrained
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- In a Dutch oven, heat ¼ cup (60 ml) extra-virgin olive oil over high heat until it shimmers. Add 8 sweet Italian sausage links (2½ lb./1.1 kg), cover, and cook until browned, 5–6 minutes. Flip and cook the other side.
- Stir in the 3 red bell peppers, sliced, 2 medium red onions, sliced, and 5 garlic cloves, sliced, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and fragrant, 5–6 minutes.
- Add 1 bunch broccolini (2 cups/200 g), ends trimmed and cut into 1" pieces, and 2 bunches spinach (4 oz./115 g total), stir, cover, and cook, 3–4 minutes. Stir in crushed red pepper flakes and one 28-oz./794-g can crushed tomatoes. Stir in 1 bunch fresh basil (1½ oz./45 g), leaves picked and one 12-oz./355-ml jar mild banana peppers, undrained, with their liquid. Cover and cook 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Season with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil, if desired. Serve immediately.
This is what I call a fridge-eater recipe. I made it one night with no time and no plan. I opened the fridge and grabbed everything that seemed at least vaguely to go together. I took some sausage from the freezer, some peppers on their last legs, some broccoli rabe, and a couple odds and ends of onions. Add to that the remnants of a few open cans of tomatoes and…voilà, classic sausage and peppers. The key here is getting a nice sear on the sausage and cooking the tomato down until it coats the sausage and vegetables well.
The longer this sits in the fridge, the more delicious it gets. Reheat it and then throw it on a hoagie or on a mound of mashed potatoes or with polenta.