Sausage Peppers Street Fair Style Food

COUNTY FAIR ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Parboil the sausages in 24 ounces of the beer for 10 minutes, then drain and discard the beer. Place the sausages aside in tinfoil or in a covered bowl where they'll stay warm.
• Place a wok or pan over high heat and after it has heated, pour in the olive oil. Before the olive oil smokes, dump in all the peppers and onions. Toss and stir them with some frequency and when you see the first indication of any browning, add in the sausages.
• When the sausages have browned a bit, pour in the reserved 8 ounces of beer and stir.
• When the beer has pretty much evaporated, serve the sausages, peppers and onions on pre-warmed (or steamed) buns. The buns are easily steamed at home by placing them in a gallon-sized zip-lock bag, flipping in about a tablespoon of water with your fingers and microwave the nearly-closed bag for about 15-20 seconds on the defrost mode -- don't do them on HIGH or they'll get rubbery!

FESTIVAL-STYLE GRILLED ITALIAN SAUSAGE SANDWICHES

Steps:

• Preheat an outdoor grill for medium heat. Lightly oil grate, and set 4 inches from the heat.
• Pierce the sausages in a few places with a fork, and set aside. Slice off the bottoms of the onion halves so they will sit flat on the grill. Brush the bell pepper and onion halves with 2 teaspoons of olive oil.
• Place the sausages, onions, and peppers on the preheated grill. Cook and turn the sausages until well browned and juices run clear. Cook vegetables until tender and peppers are slightly charred. Remove vegetables and sausages from the grill.
• Place the peppers in a paper bag, close, and cool slightly. Remove and discard the charred skin from the peppers; slice peppers into strips. Slice the onion halves. Place salt and pepper to taste, and 1 tablespoon olive oil in a bowl. Add the peppers and onions, and toss until evenly coated. To serve, place sausages in sandwich rolls, and top with the pepper and onion mixture.

SAUSAGE, PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Heat the oil in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from the pan and drain.
• Keeping the pan over medium heat, add the peppers, onions, salt, and pepper and cook until golden brown, about 5 minutes. Add the oregano, basil, and garlic and cook 2 more minutes.
• Add the tomato paste and stir. Add the Marsala wine, tomatoes, and chili flakes, if using. Stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon to release all the browned bits. Bring to a simmer.
• Cut the sausages into 4 to 6 pieces each, about 1-inch cubes. Add the sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Cook until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes.
• Serve in bowls. Or, if serving as a sandwich, split the rolls in half lengthwise. Hollow out the bread from the bottom side of each roll, being careful not to puncture the crust. Fill the bottom half of the roll with sausage mixture. Top and serve sandwiches immediately.