Italian sausage is a bit of a misnomer, because you cannot buy “Italian” sausages in Italy, but this is an extremely tasty way of serving them. There are hundreds of sausages to be found in Italy, but I hate to be the bearer of bad tidings – none of them are like “Italian” sausages. I assume some marketing man came up with the idea. Even so, they are perfect for this recipe, so I am giving credit for this one to whichever marketing guy came up with the idea of Italian sausages. If that was you, I would love to hear from you. This whole recipe is takes 45 minutes to an hour. Very simple, very easy to do. Even if you are not an experienced cook, this is easy. In fact it’s a great recipe to start cooking with, because it’s really hard to get it wrong. Buy the best quality sausages you can find and afford.

You will need:

• A large flameproof casserole dish with a lid or a heavy skillet with a lid
• A small frying pan
• A sharp knife
• A cutting board

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ lb Italian sausages
• ½ lb bacon, cut into pieces
• ½ lb shallots
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 clove garlic crushed
• A bottle of red wine (½ pint goes in the dish, the rest is for the chef)
• 6 oz small mushrooms
• Olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

In the casserole or skillet, add a little olive oil and place over a medium heat on a burner. Add the sausages and brown. Remove the sausages with a slotted spoon or spatula and set aside. Add the bacon and onions and cook until the onion is brown. Add a tablespoon of plain flour and stir. Slowly, stirring all the time, add ½ pint of wine until you have a nice red sauce.

Now, put the sausages back in along with the garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Season with a good dash of salt and pepper and bring the liquid to a boil. When it is boiling, turn the heat down as low as possible and cover the skillet or casserole with a lid.

After the sausages have been cooking for about 30 minutes, slice and brown the mushrooms in a small frying pan with a little olive oil and add to the casserole. Cook for another 20 minutes with the lid off. Serve with creamed or mashed potatoes.

Bon Apetit!