Tips on Making Sausage & Peppers

Use good-quality Italian sausages for the best sausage-and-pepper subs.

Sausage and peppers are a classic combination frequently served at a fair or at the ballpark, but the dish can also be made at home. The best sausage and peppers are made with good-quality Italian sweet or hot sausage, sweet onions and fresh bell peppers. Some recipes add garlic, thyme or other seasonings, while others rely on the seasonings in the sausage alone to flavor the dish.

Reduce the Fat

Sausages have a high fat content. You can reduce the fat in your sausage-and-peppers dish by using chicken or turkey sausage or by reducing the fat content in traditional pork sausages by poaching them before grilling or broiling.

To poach the sausages, prick them in several places with a fork, and place them in a sauce pan. Cover the sausages with water, making sure there is at least an inch of water covering the sausages. Bring the water to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook the sausages for 20 minutes. Remove the sausages from the water, and broil or grill them for 5 minutes a side to brown them. Add the browned sausages to the prepared peppers and onions and serve.

Mix it Up

The classic sausage-and-peppers recipe combines green peppers and onions. There are many different peppers available in the market, however, so mixing up your choices can enliven the dish. Red, orange and yellow peppers all have a slightly sweeter taste than green peppers and will also add visual appeal by making the dish more colorful.

While most sausage-and-peppers recipes are made with basic Spanish onions, using a sweet variety, like Vidalia when available, can enhance the flavor of the onion-and-pepper mixture.

Caramelize the Onions and Peppers

Caramelized onions and peppers have a sweeter and more complex flavor than the same vegetables that are fried quickly at high heat. Caramelizing is simple; you use the same quantity of oil, onions and peppers that you would normally use for the recipe. You just need to add a bit of salt and a dose of patience.

Heat the oil or butter called for in your recipe over medium heat. Add the sliced onions and peppers and reduce the heat to medium-low. Add a pinch of salt and mix well. Cook the onions and peppers for 15 to 30 minutes, stirring frequently to ensure even cooking.

Serving Suggestions

A basic sausage-and-peppers sub consists of one sausage and a scoop of sauteed onions and peppers served in a bun. You can also mix the onions and peppers with tomato sauce and top the mixture with provolone, mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

Sausage and peppers can also be served over pasta, either with or without tomato sauce.

Add steamed chunks of potatoes to the sausage-peppers-and-onions mixture for a one-plate meal.

References

• Clifford A. Wright: How to Make Italian Sausage
• The Frugal Cafe: Bell Peppers: Colors and Flavor -- Is There a Difference?
• The Reluctant Gourmet: How to Caramelize Onions