Wouldn't You Like to Be a Pepper (and a Sausage) Too

Have you ever eaten something over and over in a restaurant and love it so much you wish you could make it at home? But try as you might to recreate it without a recipe, it is never quite right. Well, until recently, that was me and sausage and peppers - you know, that cut up sausage and red and green peppers and onion thing that you get in Italian restaurants and markets that is slightly greasy but oh so good. I've eaten (and enjoyed) this dish in many places, but my favorite is at the Roma Cafe, Detroit's oldest Italian restaurant. They have a Monday night buffet to die for (unfortunately, literally as it is not health food) and the sausage and peppers are a mainstay. And, as I savored it on Mondays, I'd spend the rest of my days trying to deconstruct it, with limited success -  until one day not long ago when a very special issue of Saveur Magazine arrived. The featured article was about Italian-American food  from markets and little family-owned cafes around the country. And there it was, THE RECIPE, from a little Italian hole-in-the-wall place in the Bronx. I could hardly contain myself. And even better, I happened to have some special Italian sausage from my favorite Italian market, Folgarellis, in the freezer waiting for just such an occasion. All I needed was some peppers and an onion and I was set. After a quick trip to the store, I was ready.  The key turned out to be chicken stock, of all things. Who knew? Nevertheless, food nirvana. Sausage and peppers in my home. Life is good.

The 70s had a lot of great commercials - they made you want to buy the world a Coke and recite the make up of a Big Mac, and best of all they made you want to be a part of an original crowd. What exactly that means, I am still trying to figure out, but Dr.Pepper and the total cutie David Naughton in 1978 made me not care. I mean, after his song and dance, who DIDN'T want to be a pepper, too?! And, I didn't even mind his 1979 debacle TV sitcom Makin' It - about a disco dancing stud that boogied byt night and worked in an ice cream parlor by day - that only lasted nine episodes -  I loved him no matter what. Yes, even as a creepy n American werewolf (in London).  I'd be a part of his crowd any day.

The Recipe:

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausages
6 tbsp. olive oil
2 medium yellow onions, thinly sliced (I like to use sweet onions when available)
1 red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1 green pepper, stemmed, seeded, and cut into 1/2 inch strips
1/2 tsp. crushed red chile flakes
4 cloves of garlic, finely chopped (sometimes I use frozen minced, don't judge me)
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring sausages, 3 tbsp. oil and 1/3 cup water to a boil in a 12 inch skillet over medium-high heat; cover, and simmer until sausages are half-cooked, about 8 minutes. Uncover and cook, turning, until sausages are browned all over, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board and cut into 4 pieces each; set aside. Return skillet to heat along with remaining 3 tbsp. oil. Add onions and peppers; cook until soft, about 6 minutes. Add chile flakes and garlic; cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Return sausages to skillet along with stock, oregano, and salt and pepper; boil. Cover and cook until sausages are cooked through, about 10 minutes; uncover and cook until sauce is slightly reduced, about 4 minutes. Serves 4-6. Eat it on a plate, in a bun, with two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese - really just have it your way.