New York Style Italian Sausage Topping Recipes

SAUSAGE RAGù

Steps:

• With the tip of a small, sharp knife, slit open the sausage casings. Crumble the meat into a wide, heavy skillet or Dutch oven and set over medium-low heat. If the meat is not rendering enough fat to coat the bottom of the pan as it begins to cook, add olive oil one tablespoon at a time until the meat is frying gently, not steaming. Sauté, breaking up any large chunks, until all the meat has turned opaque (do not let it brown), about 5 minutes.
• Add onion, carrot, celery and parsley and stir. Drizzle in more oil if the pan seems dry. Cook over very low heat, stirring often, until the vegetables have melted in the fat and are beginning to caramelize, and the meat is toasty brown. This may take as long as 40 minutes, but be patient: It is essential to the final flavors.
• Add tomatoes and their juice, breaking up the tomatoes with your hands or with the side of a spoon. Bring to a simmer, then add thyme and rosemary and let simmer, uncovered, until thickened and pan is almost dry, 20 to 25 minutes.
• Mix tomato paste with 1 cup hot water. Add to pan, reduce heat to very low, and continue cooking until the ragù is velvety and dark red, and the top glistens with oil, about 10 minutes more. Remove herb sprigs. Sprinkle black pepper over, stir and taste.
• Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil pasta until just tender. Scoop out 2 cups cooking water, drain pasta and return to pot over low heat. Quickly add a ladleful of ragù, a splash of cooking water, stir well and let cook 1 minute. Taste for doneness. Repeat, adding more cooking water or ragù, or both, until pasta is cooked through and seasoned to your liking.
• Pour hot pasta water into a large serving bowl to heat it. Pour out the water and pour in the pasta. Top with remaining ragù, sprinkle with parsley and serve immediately. Pass grated cheese at the table, if desired.

SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS AND ONIONS

Steps:

• Prick each sausage in several places with a skewer or the tip of paring knife to prevent bursting. Put sausages in one layer in a skillet. Add water to cover and bring to a simmer. Cook for 5 minutes, then cover, turn off heat and let steep.
• Place a wide skillet over high heat and add 2 tablespoons olive oil. When oil is hot, add sliced peppers and onions. Season generously with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and beginning to brown, about 10 minutes. Adjust heat as necessary if mixture seems to be cooking too quickly. Add garlic just at the end, stir to incorporate and cook 1 minute more. Stir in the vinegar.
• Transfer pepper mixture to a platter. Over medium heat, coat pan with 1 tablespoon olive oil, add sausages and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side, to brown. Top pepper mixture with cooked sausages. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper and oregano and garnish with basil leaves.
• If desired, in the same wide skillet, fry eggs sunny side up in a little olive oil to accompany. Season with salt and pepper.

CHEESY BAKED PASTA WITH SAUSAGE AND RICOTTA

Steps:

• Heat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a 12-inch ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using), and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.
• Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.
• Stir in pasta and 1 cup water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn't stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.
• Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you'd like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like.

SHEET-PAN SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS AND TOMATOES

Steps:

• Heat the broiler with a rack 6 inches from heat source. Score the sausages in a few places on both sides, making sure not to cut all the way through. In a shallow baking dish or baking sheet, toss the sausages with the peppers, tomatoes, garlic, shallots and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and spread in an even layer.
• Broil until the sausage is cooked through and the peppers and tomatoes are nicely charred, 10 to 15 minutes. Rotate the pan and ingredients as needed so everything gets under the broiler. If everything is charring too quickly, cover the pan with foil. Serve immediately.

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.

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.

NEW YORK STYLE ITALIAN SAUSAGE TOPPING

Steps:

• If possible, use a cast iron skillet to cook veggies. Heat skillet to medium high then add olive oil. Add onions, bell pepper and roma tomatoes on top of each other, in that order. Sprinkle basil and season salt on top of mixture. Grill for 10 minutes undisturbed. Then mix the veggies up and cook for another 15-20 minutes until browned. Serve over italian sausage in a bun with other condiments of your choice like mustard.

SUNDAY SAUCE

Steps:

• Season the pork shoulder all over with salt and pepper. In a large Dutch oven, heat 2 tablespoons oil over medium high. Working in batches if necessary, cook the pork until browned on two sides, 8 to 10 minutes total, adding more oil if the pan looks dry. Transfer pieces to a bowl as they finish. Add the sausages to the pot and cook until browned, 4 to 6 minutes total. Transfer to the bowl.
• Reduce the heat to medium-low. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons oil, if needed, and the onion and garlic. Season with salt and pepper, and cook until softened, 2 to 4 minutes. Add the red wine, stir, scrape up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan and cook until the wine is nearly evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes.
• Add the tomatoes and basil, then fill one of the 28-ounce cans with water. (You'll use it in a second.) Return the pork shoulder and sausages to the pot, along with any accumulated juices in the bowl. Nudge them around so they are submerged. Add the meatballs on top, then add enough water from the can to cover the meat. (There's no need to stir.) Partly cover the pot, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to a gentle simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pork shoulder falls apart when shredded with a fork, 2 to 2½ hours.
• When you're ready to eat, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta to the boiling water and cook according to package instructions until al dente. While the pasta cooks, slice the sausage and shred the pork shoulder. Transfer to a platter along with the meatballs and a few spoonfuls of sauce. Reserve ½ cup pasta water, then drain and add the pasta to the pot of sauce. Over medium heat, toss the pasta with the sauce, adding pasta water as needed until the sauce clings to the pasta.
• Divide pasta between bowls, then top with a bit of each meat. Pass the Parmesan and platter of meat at the table.

PASTA WITH WHITE SAUSAGE SAUCE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil for the pasta.
• Put the butter in a medium skillet over medium-low heat. As it melts, crumble the sausage meat into it, making the bits quite small, 1/2 inch or less. Add the liquid, and adjust the heat so that the mixture simmers gently.
• Cook the pasta until it is tender but not at all mushy. Reserve about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.
• Drain the pasta, and dress with the sauce, adding a little of the reserved cooking liquid if necessary. Toss with salt, pepper and Parmesan, and serve.