Roasted or simmered, traditional sausage ragu is made with raw
Italian sausage and ground beef. My version is a cross between Italian ragu and
Hungarian lecsó. I find raw Italian sausage a bit coarse and beef of course is
heavy. I substituted the Italian sausage with two smokies and omitted the beef.
Simplified, the ragu only took an hour to prepare. It turned out to be a
refined version of an otherwise robust dish. If you use dry herbs instead of
fresh ones, a few sprinkles of basil and oregano will suffice. The carrots are
essential to counteract the tomatoes' acidity. I didn't skin the tomatoes, the skin adds fiber and we don't mind it. Don’t omit the wine if you don’t
have to, it really adds to the enjoyment of the dish.
SAUSAGE RAGU
1/8 cup olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 smokies, sliced
1/2 cup tomato sauce
6 fresh tomatoes, chopped
4 medium carrots, sliced
1 yellow or red pepper, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
handful of fresh basil
couple of sprigs of oregano
1/4 cup medium dry red wine
• Sauté the onions in olive oil until transparent.• Gradually add the rest of the ingredients in the order listed, except the wine.
• Gently simmer on low medium heat.
• Give the ragu an occasional stir and don’t let it come to rapid boil.
• When the carrots are tender and the tomatoes break down add the wine.
• Slowly simmer for 3-4 minutes.
• Serve the ragu over your favorite pasta.
