Bell peppers are versatile and nutritious vegetables. All varieties are loaded with beta carotene, vitamins B6 and C, potassium, and capsaicin, a natural painkiller that’s good for arthritis aches.
Peppers work as a substitute for crackers when serving seafood salad, chicken salad, cheese and other hors d’oeuvres. And they can add a healthy crunch to a sandwich for the back to school gang.
This bell pepper sauté is a colorful side dish to serve with any entrée. The recipe seems long, but it is very easy to do! Bon appétit!
6 to 8 red, yellow and orange bell peppers, ribbed, seeded, sliced into thin strips
1 large yellow onion, chopped
2 to 3 large cloves garlic, chopped
Olive oil for sautéing
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1 teaspoon fresh Greek oregano or 2 teaspoons dry oregano
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Coat a large skillet bottom with olive oil and cook over high heat.
Add the onion and sauté until aromatic, about 2 minutes.
Add garlic, then turn down the heat to medium and briefly sauté.
Add peppers and sauté, stirring often, until they are crunch tender.
Season with parsley, oregano, salt and pepper. Taste and adjust the seasonings.
1¼ to 1½ pounds sweet Italian sausage
1¼ to 1½ pounds hot Italian sausage
1 whole head of garlic, cloves separated and unpeeled
Large pot of cold water
3 cups full-bodied red wine, or more if necessary
Olive oil for sautéing
2 red bell peppers, ribbed, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 yellow or orange bell peppers, ribbed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
2 green bell peppers, ribbed, seeded and cut into 1/2-inch chunks
Red pepper flakes to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
6 to 8 large tomatoes, washed, cored and chopped
Pinch of sugar
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste
About 1 cup basil leaves, chopped
Two 1½ to 2 pound (each) spaghetti squash, washed
Optional: 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, to pass at the table
To cook the sausages: Fill a large stockpot or saucepan with cold water.
Cook over high heat.
Poke holes in the sausages with a two–pronged fork to allow the fat to be released.
Add the sausages and all the unpeeled garlic to the pot.
Cover and bring to a boil.
Once the water is boiling, reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.
Drain sausages and discard the water.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. When the sausages are cool enough to handle, cut them into half-inch slices and transfer to a large non-reactive baking pan.
Add the cloves of garlic (from cooking water) and just enough wine until it comes up three-quarters of the way on the sausages.
Sausages should peak out of the wine.
Cover with aluminum foil.
Seal the edges tight and bake for 30 minutes.
Remove the foil, stir sausages every-so-often and bake until the wine has been absorbed and is almost a glaze, about 25 minutes.
Remove the sausages and reserve any cooking juices in the bottom of the pan for the tomato sauce.
Wash the spaghetti squash and cut in half.
Scoop out the seeds.
Coat a baking sheet with foil and drizzle with olive oil.
Lay the halves flesh-side down on the baking sheet.
Bake until the shell is easily pierced with a knife, about 35 minutes.
To cook the peppers: While the sausage and squash bake, sauté the peppers in olive oil in a large skillet over moderate high heat, stirring until they are crunch tender.
Add red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to taste.
Set aside.
To make the sauce: In the same skillet, coat the bottom of the pan with olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic over moderate heat until soft and translucent.
Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring often, until they begin to soften, about 10 minutes.
Add sugar, salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, basil and the accumulated juices from the sausages and sautéed peppers.
Stir well and continue cooking until most of the tomato liquid has evaporated, about 10 minutes.
Taste and adjust the seasonings.
The cooking time will depend on the consistency of the tomatoes.
Final assembly: Working with a table fork, scrape out the strands of the spaghetti squash into a large bowl.
Toss the sausages and peppers together, then add them to the spaghetti squash.
Spoon fresh tomato sauce over the whole affair.
Pass Parmesan cheese at the table and serve with crusty bread.
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