Rachael Ray not only asks her television and studio audiences, “What’s for dinner?” while taping her show for the Cooking Channel, she also shares how to turn many of her recipes into make-ahead dinners so there will be less rush in homes at the dinner hour during the week.
One such meal is this sausage, pepper and onion one-pot which can either be served as soon as it is done or it can be stored for a make-ahead meal. As the cook, you decide!
Ingredients:
- 2 pounds Italian hot and/or sweet sausages
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ teaspoons fennel seed
- 1 red chile pepper, thinly sliced
- 2 cubanelle peppers, thinly sliced
- 1 red bell pepper, cored and thinly sliced
- 2 large red or yellow onions, thinly sliced
- 4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 cup chicken stock
- 1 (15-ounce) can tomato sauce or stewed tomatoes
- Generous handful flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
- Loaf ciabatta bread
Cook’s Note: Wrap the bread in plastic or freeze if not using within 24 hours
DIRECTIONS:
- Place sausages in a high-sided skillet or Dutch oven and add 1-inch water and 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil to the pan.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat a bit and allow the water to boil away.
- The sausages will gently cook through in the water, and then the oil will crisp the casings up to a deep brown.
- Remove the sausages to a plate.
- Heat extra-virgin olive oil, a couple of turns of the pan, in the same skillet over medium high heat.
- Stir in fennel seed and chile pepper, then add in the peppers, onions and garlic as you slice them.
- Season with salt and pepper and cook 15 minutes to soften.
- Stir in the tomato paste 1 minute, then wine for 1 minute more.
- Add the chicken stock and canned tomatoes.
- Finish with parsley.
- Slice the sausages on an angle and add to the pot.
- Cover, cook completely and store for a make-ahead meal.
- Reheat, covered, over moderate heat or in moderate oven.
- Crisp up chunks of bread in a warm oven just before serving for mopping up your plate.
Makes 4 servings
This recipe originally came from FoodNetwork.com.