Italian sausages my recipe

It took me a while to discover Italian sausages but when I did I fell culinary in love. My husband prepares them on a bed of white rice following a recipe given to him by a friend of Italian ancestors. I prepare my own recipe that I'd like to share with you.

I wonder if what we call in the United States Italian sausages are widespread in Italy. Take pizza, for instance. I don't know what the situation is nowadays but pizza used to be years ago incomparably more common in the three Americas than in Italy. I don't know if this has changed since then but if it did it would be a case of Italians having changed under the influence of the New World. I remember twenty years ago I was waiting to take a plane in some airport in the United States and a whole Italian family were devouring pizza as if their life depended on it. I was not surprised when they told me that they were going back to Italy and they were enjoying pizza before it was too late.

I remember also that in the city of Rome you could never find pizza during the day, they were in the habit of cooking it only at night ... So I wonder how it goes with Italian sausages. I think they come from Sicily, that's what I was told anyway.

This recipe can be used to eat any sausage ... chorizo, for instance. But it won't have the unique anise flavour of the Italian sausages.

INGREDIENTS

1. A package of 6 Italian sausages, sweet or hot (they are not very different), cut in 4 pieces each sausage.
2. 6 good sized red potatoes, boiled with the skin, peeled and cut in 1 inch dices.
3. 1 big onion, sliced.
4. 2 big tomatoes, or 4 tomatoes on the vine or 4 pear-shaped tomatoes, sliced.
5. 1 package of freshly sliced mushrooms, rinsed.
6. Salt.
7. Hot red pepper, dried, according to taste.
8. 2 spoonfuls of olive or grapeseed oil.
   
9. 2 spoonfuls of red vinegar or apple vinegar.
10. 1 teaspoonful of sugar.
11. 3 cups of water.
    

Put to boil 1 cup of water with the sausages on a stainless steel pan. Boil for a couple of minutes. If you see too much fat and prefer a lighter recipe, throw at this point the whole of the liquid.

Put a new cup of water and the sausages again to boil over medium fire. When the water is almost evaporated add the oil and the onion. Lower the fire and let the sausages and onion golden a little bit. Be careful not to let them burn.

Add another cup of water and the potatoes, let them cook for 5-10 minutes.

Add the mushrooms, tomatoes, salt, hot pepper, vinager and sugar. If it's becoming dry add water. At this point the starch from the potatoes should have created a nice creamy base. Cook for another 5 minutes.

Serve very hot with a green salad. It will make 4 good portions.

Try it and tell me how you liked it.

Rosario Montenegro

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