New York Style Italian Sausage Topping Food

GRILLED SAUSAGES, ONIONS AND PEPPERS

Steps:

• Build a fire in your grill, leaving one side free of coals. When coals are covered with gray ash and the temperature is medium (you can hold your hand 5 inches above the coals for 5 to 7 seconds), you are ready to cook. (For a gas grill, turn all burners to high, lower cover and heat for 15 minutes, then turn burners to medium.)
• Meanwhile, toss peppers and onions with oil and sprinkle with salt. Lightly prick sausages all over so that they do not burst.
• Put peppers and onions in a grill basket or directly on the grill, turning occasionally until they are softened and dark at the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Move them to the side of the grill without coals.
• Place the sausages on the hot side of the grill, cover and cook, turning occasionally until they are cooked through, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Transfer the peppers and onions to a platter and top with the sausages. Drizzle with olive oil and serve.

HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Put the pork in a bowl and add all remaining ingredients. Mix well to distribute the seasoning evenly throughout the meat.
• Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days, or freeze for future use.

CLASSIC LASAGNA

Steps:

• Make the sauce: Heat oil in a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat. Add sausage, if using, and cook, stirring occasionally, until it's starting to brown but not yet crisp, about 5 minutes.
• Add onion and garlic and season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is totally softened and translucent (without letting it brown), 8 to 10 minutes. Add tomato paste and continue to cook, stirring until the tomato paste has turned a deeper brick red color, tinting the oil and onions a fiery orange color, about 2 minutes.
• Using your hands, crush the whole tomatoes into smaller, bite-size pieces and add them and the crushed tomatoes, stirring to scrape up any bits from the bottom of the pot. Fill one of the tomato cans halfway with water and add it to the pot. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the tomato sauce has thickened and flavors have come together, 20 to 30 minutes.
• Make the lasagna: Heat oven to 375 degrees and set a large pot of salted water to boil.
• Set aside 1 cup mozzarella. In a medium bowl, combine remaining mozzarella, ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan and cream; season with salt and pepper and set aside.
• Cook lasagna noodles in the large pot of salted boiling water until just softened (before they are even aldente), about 4 minutes. Drain and separate any noodles that are trying to stick together, slicking them with a bit of olive oil to prevent them from sticking further.
• Spoon a bit of sauce on the bottom of a 3-quart baking dish and top with a layer of noodles, avoiding any heavy overlap.
• Top with about 1 ¼ cups of sauce, and dollop ¼ of the cheese mixture over. Top with another layer of noodles and repeat three more times, ending with the last of the noodles (depending on size of the noodle/shape of the baking dish, you may have a few extra noodles) and the last of the sauce. Top with reserved 1 cup mozzarella and more Parmesan, if you like.
• Cover loosely with aluminum foil and place baking dish on a foil-lined rimmed baking sheet (to prevent any overflow from burning on the bottom of your oven).
• Bake until pasta is completely tender and cooked through and sauce is bubbling up around the edges, 30 to 40 minutes. Remove foil and increase temperature to 450 degrees. Continue to bake until lasagna is golden brown on top with frilly, crispy edges and corners, another 15 to 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before eating.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• In large bowl, toss together the cabbage, carrots, mayonnaise, the 3 chopped pickled peppers, pepper juice, salt and pepper. Let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
• Meanwhile, heat the broiler. Arrange the rolls, split side up, on a baking sheet. Line the inside of each roll with provolone. Arrange the sausages on the baking sheet next to the rolls. Put the sheet under the broiler. Cook until the cheese is bubbling and the sausages are warm, 1 to 2 minutes (make sure the rolls do not burn).
• Place a sausage inside each roll. Top generously with coleslaw and sprinkle with additional pickled peppers. Serve any additional coleslaw on the side.

ITALIAN STYLE SAUSAGE

Steps:

• In a small bowl, combine the ground black pepper, parsley, Italian-style seasoning, garlic powder, crushed red pepper flakes, anise, paprika, minced onion flakes and salt; mix well.
• Place pork in a separate large bowl and add the spice mix to it. Mix this thoroughly with your hands.
• In a large skillet over medium high heat, saute the seasoned pork for 10 minutes, or until well browned and crumbly.