Sausage, peppers, onions

This month’s recipe features sausage made from feral pigs. If you don’t have any, it can also be made with venison sausage or with sausage made from domestic swine.

During my childhood, this was usually served using domestic sausage, and it tasted pretty good that way, but it’s much tastier and leaner when the featured ingredient is some of the pigs that were raiding your feeders during deer season.

You may have a family recipe that is similar. There were several slight differences in our family, and my dad’s had more salt, while my grandad’s had more pepper and my uncle’s included mushrooms too. Someone used broth instead of water and there were other slight differences also. However, what really mattered is they were all very tasty meals that were enjoyed and appreciated.

This is a combination of the different versions I grew up enjoying. In addition to being melt-in-your-mouth tender, it has a nice flavor with the amount of spice being determined by using hot, medium or mild sausage. I prefer the hot, but often use milder blends that are more accepted by others at the table.

Many folks prefer this covered with lots of gravy and even more gravy heaped on a side of mashed potatoes. It tastes good that way. I like it cooked in the gravy to get some of that good flavor, then served without the gravy so I don’t feel my arteries hardening while I’m enjoying it.

Sausage, peppers, onions

This recipe combines several foods, like sausage, gravy and mashed potatoes, that are comfort foods in their own right, and makes them better by putting them together. It’s also tasty and filling and that’s an impressive trifecta for any meal.

This is an easy recipe to prepare and it can all be done in one pan. Regular readers know I like to use cast iron pans for their ability to distribute heat evenly and this is another recipe where they shine. If you don’t have a cast iron pan large enough, use the heaviest pan you have. Heating evenly while at a low heat setting is important.

Different folks have varying degrees of appreciation for onions, peppers and mushrooms. Feel free to adjust the amounts of these. If you like more of them, then add more. Or if you don’t care for mushrooms, don’t use them. I prefer bell peppers other than green, as they are usually a bit milder.

After sautéing the vegetables just enough to break the glaze on the onions, remove the vegetables from the pan and spray it again with non-stick cooking spray. This is for my feral pig sausage, which is extremely lean. It doesn’t make much grease and might scorch if put directly in a hot pan. If your sausage has more fat in it, this may not be necessary. There aren’t much drippings either and this is why I also add a little vegetable oil to make the gravy.

Be attentive while simmering the vegetables with the sausage. Don’t let the pan get hot enough to scorch anything. Stir it fairly often to blend the flavors and prevent hot spots.

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 Pound feral pig link sausage (venison will substitute)
• 1 Sweet onion
• 1 Cup assorted color baby bell peppers
• 4 TSP all-purpose flour
• 1 TSP beef bouillon (granules)
• 1/2 TSP coarse ground black pepper
• 1/2 TSP white pepper
• Vegetable oil, Sprinkle of onion powder (onion salt my be used)
• Salt (to taste)
• Water
• Non-stick cooking spray
• Optional:
• 1/2 Package fresh sliced mushrooms

PREPARATION:

1. Chop the onion, peppers and mushrooms.
2. Season the onions and peppers with the salt and peppers.
3. Spray a large frying pan with non-stick cooking spray and sauté the onion, peppers and mushrooms just enough to break the glaze, then remove and hold them.
4. Lightly spray the pan with non-stick cooking spray again, put the sausage in and lightly brown it, top and bottom.
5. Add just enough oil to the pan to barely cover the bottom.
6. Add the vegetables back into the pan.
7. Add water to the pan to not quite cover the venison and vegetables. A little less water makes the gravy thicker. A little more water makes it thinner.
8. Stir in the beef bouillon until it is totally dissolved.
9. Sprinkle in 4 rounded teaspoons of flour and stir to mix it in well.
10. Heat this until it begins to bubble, stirring well and often.
11. Reduce heat to low and let simmer 20 to 30 minutes, stirring well occasionally and taking care to turn everything to prevent sticking.
12. Remove from heat and let sit and thicken a couple of minutes before serving.

My family believed the way to serve this is with homemade mashed potatoes, complete with a few lumps, and lots of the gravy heaped on top. That certainly is tasty, but a healthier version is to serve it over wild rice with a minimum of gravy. I know it isn’t quite the same, but it tastes good and your arteries and cardiologist will thank you.

Vegetables are a must, and steamed mixed squash is a great choice. A good hearty wheat or rye bread adds a little extra taste and helps get the last morsels and gravy off the plate. This might be a good meal to skip dessert – but if you must have some, warm bread pudding really hits the spot.

The post “Sausage, peppers, onions” first appeared on CarolinaSportsman.com.