Pick A Peppa
It has become abundantly clear that the month of August will be all about cooking from my garden—with a little protein brought in to round out the meal.

At the moment, my challenge is to use all of the peppers and chilies that are growing like gangbusters. Sure, there are the obvious salsas and salads, but that will only take you so far. The good news is that you can dice up the peppers and freeze them for later. And, this will save you time and prolong the enjoyment of your garden long after the plants are gone.

Still, there is something about picking a pepper, taking it inside, and chopping it up for dinner that is satisfying. So, the other night I did just that. I picked all of the sweet Italian peppers that I could, sliced them up, and made them into sausage and peppers.

Ask any Italian American they will tell you that Sausages & Peppers is some of the best comfort food. And, served in a crusty Italian roll or alongside some cheesy polenta, it’s a mouthful of straight-up yum. I opted for the roll because, for whatever reason, that seemed more like summertime to me. Save the polenta for a chilly evening in the fall…

Sausage & Peppers Recipe
Yields 6 Servings 

Ingredients
6 (4-ounce) links of sweet or hot Italian sausage. We like Caggiano
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 yellow onion
1/2 red onion
4 cloves garlic
1 15-ounce can of diced tomatoes
1 large red bell or yellow pepper (or a combination of the two)
1 green bell pepper
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 cup white wine
Crusty Italian rolls

Directions
Brown the sausage
Place the sausage in a large skillet over medium heat, and brown on all sides. Remove the sausage from the skillet, and slice them into inch-long rounds.

Prep the veggies
While the sausages are browning, core and seed the peppers and slice them thin. Peel and mince the garlic. And, peel and slice the onions.

Remove the basil and oregano leaves from the stem and chop the leaves.

Cook the veggies
Return the skillet to medium heat and add the olive oil. Stir in the yellow onion, red onion, and garlic, and cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in the can of diced tomatoes, and the red and green bell peppers. Stir in white wine. And, continue to cook and stir until peppers and onions are tender and sauce thickens a bit. Add the fresh basil and oregano at the end.

Finish the dish
Return the sausage slices to skillet with the vegetables. Reduce the heat to low. Cover, and simmer until sausage is heated through (about 15 minutes).

Spoon into warmed rolls or serve with hot polenta.