Italian-American street food on a tray.
Why you should cook this
Italian street-food on a tray. Eight pork sausages from a butcher who has fennel seeds already in the mix, three capsicums in strips (red, yellow, green if you want the rainbow, two reds if you want the dinner), two red onions in fat wedges, a head of smashed garlic, balsamic, oregano, chilli flakes if you like the kick. Crank the oven, drink the wine, plate it with crusty rolls or over soft polenta.
The trick is to cut everything roughly the same size so it cooks at the same rate. Three-centimetre chunks of capsicum need three-centimetre wedges of onion. Use proper Italian sausages (D’Angelo, Vic’s Meat in Pyrmont, any decent Sydney or Melbourne butcher). The cheap supermarket snags don’t have the fat or the fennel and the dinner falls flat. Don’t crowd the tray. Use two trays for six people. Roast 30 minutes at 220 fan, turning the sausages once. Tear basil over before serving. Open a Chianti.
What to drink with it
A young Chianti, a Cynar Spritz (our recipe), or a cold Peroni.
Notes from the kitchen
Cut everything roughly the same size. Three-centimetre chunks of pepper, three-centimetre wedges of onion. Even cooking matters.
The recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 220°C fan.
- Toss capsicums, onions, garlic with oil, balsamic, oregano, chili flakes, salt, pepper. Spread on a large sheet pan.
- Nestle sausages on top of the vegetables.
- Roast 30 minutes, turning sausages once, until everything is browned and the vegetables are caramelised.
- Serve in crusty rolls or over soft polenta.
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Two things that go wrong
Soggy peppers
Pan was crowded. Use two trays if you’re cooking for six or more.
Burst sausage skins
You didn’t let them rest. After roasting, let sausages sit five minutes before serving.
Variations worth knowing
Hot Italian
Use spicy sausages and add a sliced fresh chilli to the tray.
Polish kielbasa
Replace Italian sausage with kielbasa. Add 200g sauerkraut and a tablespoon of caraway seeds.
With potatoes
Add 500g of halved baby potatoes for the first 15 minutes before adding the sausages and peppers.
Leftovers and make ahead
Two days fridge. Stuffs into a sub roll for an instant lunch. Or chop and toss through pasta with parmesan.