February 10, 2009

• Superlative Slow Sausage Subs

  One day I’d like to do some real food blogs, with photos and everything. But in the meantime . . .

  I have a new slow cooker, and I want to make great use of it. An acquaintance who knows of my quest suggested this concoction to me. Even though it contains no exotic ingredients whatsoever, I had a feeling it might be tasty. I vowed to myself that if it turned out well today, I’d be sure to share it here.

  I’ve just eaten a memorable supper. It was so successful, in fact, that I leapt up to compose this entry right after clearing up the kitchen. No one should be without such a delicious sausage recipe.

  Whatever size slow cooker you have, don’t worry. Just open it up and sprinkle therein, in order:
  
  1 onion, chopped
  1 green pepper, chopped
  3 cloves garlic, minced

  Now for the sausage. You need 3 lbs.  I used hot Italian sausage, but I’m sure that any kind you like will work, although I’d opt for a robust variety, to stand up to the sauce. I was advised to chop them into 8 pieces, but since I had 5 sausages, I just cut them in half so they’d fit better in the bottom of the cooker. No precooking! Just lay the pieces out on top of the veggies as evenly as you can. Then cover with:

  ½ tsp. thyme
  ½ tsp. oregano
  1 bay leaf
  1 jar tomato sauce (I used Prego Original Recipe, but use your fave)

  That’s it. Set it on low for 8 hours. Meanwhile, either nip out and buy a bunch of hoagie buns or submarine rolls, or get out your bread machine and make up some dough, because you will want something special to put these sausages in. I’m glad I made homemade rolls.

  I know, it doesn’t seem like much is going on here. Eight hours later, though, not only will you have a delicious thick tomato sauce (much of which I’ll be using on pasta tomorrow, I think), but the sausages will have simmered into heavenly savory tenderness. I don’t think I’ve had better, even on the barbecue.

  If you want to be able to pick up your sandwiches, go easy on the tomato sauce, but you can also eat these drowned in sauce, with knife and fork. We opted to pick them up, and we added some hot mustard, too.

  How many will this serve? Depends, how hungry are they? Often the number of servings stated in a recipe is just funny. My husband and I ate two sandwiches each, and I think that was about half the recipe. So yes, technically I’d say this “serves eight.” But depending on the size of your slow cooker, this recipe would be easy to double or triple if those “eight” are great burly fellows with improbable appetites.

  Thank goodness for acquaintances with wonderful ideas! This recipe is so easy, it’s going straight onto my list of the greatest. Not to mention that my house smelled divine all afternoon.

  • 8:12 pm
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