For those who wanted the meatball and sausage & pepper recipe here you go! Chat Icon

SAUSAGE AND PEPPERS

I really don't measure anything, I go by taste and will add a little more or less of everything depending how I feel.

Ingredients

2.5 – 3 lbs of pork sausage with fennel
2 green bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips
2 red bell peppers, seeded and sliced into strips
2 large sweet onions, sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
extra virgin olive oil, as needed
10-12 oz of plain canned tomato sauce
Kosher salt and pepper, to taste
2 tsp of oregano
pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions

Drizzle about 2 tbs of olive oil into a pan and turn the heat to medium. Separate the sausage links by cutting the strings in between. Do not cut too close to the base of the sausage or you will slice the casing . When the oil is shimmering and the pan is hot add in the sausage. Cook the sausages, turning frequently, until they are browned on all sides, about 10-15 minutes.

Remove the sausage from the pan. Using a fork to hold each link steady slice it up into 1.5? slices. Once all of the sausages are sliced, return them to the hot pan. Add in a little more oil as needed so they don’t stick and burn. Continue to cook the sausage slices until they are nicely browned on each side and cooked through, about 15-20 minutes. Remove from the pan, cover and set aside.

Add to the hot pan the peppers, garlic and onion. Saute them in the sausage fat, adding extra oil as needed, until they are tender and browned. Season them with Kosher salt, pepper, oregano, and the red pepper flakes. Once the veggies are done, add the sausage back into the pan along with the tomato sauce and heat through, stirring gently to combine. Adjust the seasonings as needed. If a “drier” sausage and peppers is preferred, use less tomato sauce and conversely, add more to make it moister. Serve hot.
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ITALIAN MEATBALLS

For the meatballs I also toss in a little torn basil. I like the flavor it adds. But that's optional. You can also use a combo of beef, pork and veal. I personally prefer all beef.

ITALIAN MEATBALLS

Ingredients

1 lb of 80% ground beef or a combination of beef and pork
1/2 cup Italian seasoned breadcrumbs
2 large eggs
2 tsp finely minced garlic
1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 tbs fresh flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
3/4 tsp Kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
2-3 slices white bread, crusts removed and moistened with water or milk
Instructions

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Except for the white bread, combine all of the ingredients together in a large bowl. Mix until just combined, do not over mix or the meatballs will be tough.

Break off small pieces of the moistened bread and add it to the meatball mixture. Mix into the meat and then continue to add more bread until it’s all combined.

Form the meat into balls and place them about 2" apart on a sheet pan lined with a Silpat® or aluminum foil. Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown. Alternatively, the meatballs can also be fried in oil until crispy and golden brown.

If serving pasta, add to the simmering sauce so the meatballs absorb the flavor and become softer.