Mike's Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions

My husband's favorite dish from our carnival and Italian street fair days. Quick, easy and just a bit like a feast in a bun. You can use either whole sausages, or, to be more economical, you can cut the sausages into chunks before frying.


Italian Sausage with Peppers & Onions (serves 4)

Ingredients

• 4 Italian sausage links (sweet, hot, or a combination)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 green, 1 red, 1 yellow and 1 orange bell peppers, sliced into 2-3 inch strips
• 4 garlic cloves, slivered or 2 tsp of garlic powder (salt)
• 1 small (15 oz) can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp dried oregano
• 1/2 c red wine (if desired)
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• Salt to taste

Preparation

1. Poke sausages a few times with a fork. Heat olive oil on medium heat in a large frying pan with a lid (prevents splatter and evens the heat); add sausages and cook until browned, turning occasionally to even the color. Remove from heat.
2. On medium-high heat, stir-fry the peppers and onion, sprinkling with salt and garlic once they have softened and browned slightly.
3. If you desire, add wine, and stir, scraping bottom of the pan to get up all the browned bits. Let reduce to half.
4. Add the tomatoes, oregano and pepper flakes (if a spicier flavor is desired), stirring to mix. Add sausages back in and simmer, then reduce to low to cook peppers and sausages thoroughly (15-20 minutes). Stir occasionally to prevent burning.

This dish keeps in the fridge for several days. Serve with hoagie buns, Italian rolls or pasta.