My Summer Ragu

While Summer is winding down, and the early mornings & evenings have a touch of that crisp fall weather, I’m still not quite ready to let go of Summer just yet.  Autumn and winter are all about the cooking season with dishes that take hours to braise like the classic Bolognese ragu, Summer is all about quick, easy, and light.  This Summer ragu is just that, it doesn’t require hours over a stovetop, is a much faster ragu to make, and is much lighter than cold weather ragu’s.

Shockingly there are zero tomatoes in this ragu, relying on the roasted/grilled pepper as the main sauce flavor that pairs so nicely with sausage.  I use a stovetop grill since I live in an urban apartment but feel free to use your outdoor grill or take a shortcut by using jarred roasted peppers.

Roasted Red Pepper Summer Ragu

Serves 2

Ingredients:

2 Red Peppers, washed and dried thoroughly 

2 Sausages

1/2 a blonde onion, sliced

Generous pinch of dried Sicilian oregano

EVOO as needed

Salt to taste

A splash of white wine (optional)

uthis recipe is scalable and I would suggest using one red pepper, and one sausage per serving with ½ a blonde onion for every 2 people.

Method:

Pre-heat a grill or stovetop grill.  When the grill is very hot place the peppers on the grill, turning occasionally until each side is charred.  You don’t want to turn them often, less is more in this case.  I typically leave it on each side until charred before turning them over.  Once they are charred on all sides, place in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap tightly.  Leave them to the side to steam so the skin loosens and until they cool down.  Once they are cool, peel the charred skin, remove the inner core and blend until smooth.

In a medium sauce or sauté pan drizzle with EVOO, add the sausage that has been removed from the casing.  Break the sausage up into small pieces, and cook until they are no longer pink.  Push the sausage to the side of the pan, and add the onions in the center.  Sauté the onions on medium until the onions are soft.  Combine the sausage and onions well.  If using wine, add a splash of wine and pick up any bits stuck to the pan. 

Once that’s done you can add the puréed red pepper and the oregano.  Add a little bit of water to barely cover the sausage, bring to a bubble, then lower to a simmer.  The ragu is done when the water has reduced, created a nice thick sauce, and the sausage is very soft.  This takes about 20 minutes.  If the sausage isn’t soft by then, feel free to add additional water to braise the sausage until soft, and then reduce to sauce-like consistency.  Season to taste with salt.

Cook your tagliatelle or your favorite pasta, drain and add to the pan with the ragu.  Add a splash of the pasta cooking water as needed, and stir well to marry the sauce to the pasta.  Plate and enjoy!