Sunday Rewind: Sliding into Italian

– Originally posted May 18, 2012.As The Rantings of an Amateur Chef has been going since February of 2012, there are quite a few readers that have joined along the way. In an effort to bring back some great recipes that they may have missed, I will dedicate Sundays to re-posting a favorite that is at least two years old. I hope you enjoy! – The Ranting Chef

Growing up when the family would go out for Italian food, it often meant spaghetti for my brother and I. As we got older, our choices expanded, but up until age 10 or 12, it was mostly spaghetti. What goes with spaghetti? For me, not meatballs. I preferred the link of Italian sausage. While some restaurant meatballs could be good, many were pretty bland. Italian sausage, on the other hand was always flavorful.

In a recent post on Eatocracy’s Spouse vs Spouse,  they battled over sliders. She got creative and made a salmon slider. He, a beef burger. I was disappointed that neither of them chose my favorite, the Italian Sausage slider.

A gooey tasty mess.

I don’t follow the recipe below. 1 pound of bulk Italian sausage, slider rolls, a jar of spaghetti sauce, onions, peppers and provolone cheese.

I flatten out the meat and cut sixteen sliders. They are thin, so they will cook quickly and they are square, to fit the bun the best.

Fry them up a few at a time.

Saute the onions and peppers. Heat the spaghetti sauce.

Slice the rolls to make slider buns.

Under the broiler, toast the buns. Then add the sausage, a dollop of sauce, an onion and pepper slice and 1/4th a slice of provolone. Put it back under the broiler to melt the cheese.

Sausage and Peppers Sliders

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons EVOO – Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 medium onion, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small red bell pepper, thinly sliced
• 1/2 small green bell pepper, thinly sliced or 1 small cubanelle pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped or grated
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and pepper
• 1 pound bulk sweet or hot Italian sausage or sausage links, casings removed
• 8 cubes of provolone cheese, half-inch thick and 1-inch square
• 8 small dinner rolls or packaged slider rolls, such as Pepperidge Farm brand, split open and toasted

Directions:

Place a large skillet over medium-high heat with 2 turns of the pan of EVOO, about 2 tablespoons. Add the onion, peppers, and garlic to the pan and cook until the veggies are tender, 7-8 minutes. When the veggies are tender, add the Worcestershire and season with salt and pepper.

While the veggies are cooking, place a second skillet over medium-high heat with 1 turn of the pan of EVOO, about 1 tablespoon. Shape the sausage into thin patties and wrap the meat around the cubed cheese. Cook patties 4 minutes on each side until deep brown and firm.

Place patties on roll bottoms and top with peppers and onions. Set roll tops in place and serve.

Source: http://www.rachaelrayshow.com/food/recipes/sausage-and-peppers-sliders/