Tuscan Sunrise Pasta or Rice Bowl
As promised, here is a recipe with my 5 Signature herbs & spices that we absolutely love! It only takes about 30 mins. to make and I know the instructions look long but I'm just being very detailed.
- 4 bell peppers (red, orange, yellow)
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 small onion, finely diced
- 1/2 cup of good olive oil + a few tsps. to coat pan
- I pkg. Johnsonville Hot Italian Sausage Links
- 1lb. pasta (I prefer linguni, angel hair, or spaghetti) but any works or enough rice for 4-6 people depending on appetite.
- 1 & 1/2 tsp.. of Real Salt or Kosher Salt
- 1 & 1/2 tsp. of Ground Black Pepper
- 1/2 Tbls. of Basil
- 1 tsp. of Oregano
- Red pepper flakes (amount is up to you, add a little just to bring out flavor or more for spiceyness (yes that's a made up word).
To put together this masterpiece: first, cut up all of your peppers: de-seed them and the ribs and cut into about 1 inch squares. (I just cut for long strips and then cut them horizontally across).
Once your peppers are cut, turn on your large pot on high to boil about 2-3 quarts of water. Once, the water is boiling, before you add the pasta, add a handful of salt to the water. (I know this might sound strange too, but in Italy they always told us that without the water tasting like sea water the pasta will never come out right and your dish will never recover, so it is crucial! Don't forget!)
While you're waiting for the water to boil, in a heavy bottomed saute' pan on medium to medium-high heat add a touch of oil and the sausage links. When I make this for us I only use three, but if you're having a large dinner party over, use all five. Sear on all sides but don't cook all of the way through, leave a little bit of raw in the middle because they'll finish cooking with the peppers. (I would say this takes about five mins total).
Once the sausage are almost cooked, take them off and put them on a plate to rest for a little while. To that pan that you just took the sausage out of, add a little more olive oil to coat the pan and add your onion and garlic and a tich of salt just to start the softening process. Cook for about 2-3 mins and then add the rest of the 1/2 cup of olive oil and all of the peppers. Stir together. Now add the seasonings: salt, pepper, basil, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Stir to make sure everything is coated.
By this time your pasta should be cooking in the water or you just added it. The trick to this recipe is to time everything correctly so it all ends up being done about the same time. The worst case scenario is that your pasta will be done before your pepper combination and that's bad. It's harder to get your pasta unstuck once you drain it...it's way easier to let your pepper combination sit in the pan, soaking up flavor, while it waits for the pasta to be done. So, if you don't think you can time it right...just add the pasta to the boiling water after you have the peppers well on there way to cooking and then wait til the pasta is done.
Alright, it takes about 12-15 mins for the peppers to soften and release some juices but every stove top differs so taste test as you're going along. Once you think the peppers are almost done it's time to add the sausage. I like to take the cooled sausage links and cut them horizontally into little like half dollar shaped circles. You should get about 8-10 circles from each link, maybe less depending on how thick you cut them. Once those are all cut, add them to the peppers and cook about 3-5 mins more until there's no more raw in the middle of your sausages. Once that happens, immediately take the concoction off the heat...chewy sausage is nobody's friend. If your pasta isn't done, then like I said, set aside in the pan until it is done. If the pasta or rice is finished then add it to the pan if it's big enough or a very large serving bowl and add the peppers on top and toss to coat all of the strands or kernels together with the yummy olive oil sauce, peppers, and sausages. At this point I like to add a generous helping of Parmesan cheese on top. Serve immediately!
