Michael TL
New member
I snagged some tomatoes, peppers, onions, and basil from the local grocery store. Taking a cue from poster JSchlegelmilch in his recipe Halibut with Grilled Tomato Sauce, I put six skewers of cherry tomatoes on the gas grill at around 400F. I grilled each "side" until some charring was visible on the skin, at which point I removed them and placed in a bowl.
While the tomatoes were grilling, I chopped up some bell peppers, onion, and minced some garlic, which I mixed together in a bowl with some EVOO. I then removed the circular grate and replaced it with the enameled cast iron skillet. I lowered the gas flow and allowed the hood temperature to drop to around 300F and the surface temperature, as measured by two cheap oven thermometers, to hit around 350F. I threw the vegetables on the preheated skillet and allowed to cook until the onions became tender, at which point I added back in the tomatoes from the sideline.
The periphery of the cooking surface around the skillet provides a fair amount of real estate, so I increased the gas flow and threw on four hot Italian sausages. While the sausages were being browned, I added to the vegetables one 28 ounce can of La Valle DOP San Marzano tomatoes and a few tablespoons of La Valle tomato paste. A pinch of sea salt and a splash of balsamic vinegar were added to taste, and then I carefully stirred the sauce so as to not overflow the skillet. (Tip: the skillet almost perfectly holds 28 ounces of tomato sauce with a little wiggle room).
After allowing the sauce a few minutes to cook down, I placed the sausages in the sauce and poked each with a tines of a fork three or four times. I again reduced the gas flow to low, rounding off the sauce with a nice slow simmer. This is the opportunity to relax a bit, which I did by enjoying a little beer and watching a red tail hawk hunt on the wooded hillside below my balcony. It felt like about 20 or 30 minutes, but when I checked the sauce it had reduced to a nice thick consistency with a very robust aroma.
I chopped up some fresh basil (from the store, I won't have my own for a few weeks), and allowed about 5 for minutes to finish off the dish.
I served the sausage with simply some fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. And of course, I finished off with some chilled homemade Limoncello.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
While the tomatoes were grilling, I chopped up some bell peppers, onion, and minced some garlic, which I mixed together in a bowl with some EVOO. I then removed the circular grate and replaced it with the enameled cast iron skillet. I lowered the gas flow and allowed the hood temperature to drop to around 300F and the surface temperature, as measured by two cheap oven thermometers, to hit around 350F. I threw the vegetables on the preheated skillet and allowed to cook until the onions became tender, at which point I added back in the tomatoes from the sideline.
The periphery of the cooking surface around the skillet provides a fair amount of real estate, so I increased the gas flow and threw on four hot Italian sausages. While the sausages were being browned, I added to the vegetables one 28 ounce can of La Valle DOP San Marzano tomatoes and a few tablespoons of La Valle tomato paste. A pinch of sea salt and a splash of balsamic vinegar were added to taste, and then I carefully stirred the sauce so as to not overflow the skillet. (Tip: the skillet almost perfectly holds 28 ounces of tomato sauce with a little wiggle room).
After allowing the sauce a few minutes to cook down, I placed the sausages in the sauce and poked each with a tines of a fork three or four times. I again reduced the gas flow to low, rounding off the sauce with a nice slow simmer. This is the opportunity to relax a bit, which I did by enjoying a little beer and watching a red tail hawk hunt on the wooded hillside below my balcony. It felt like about 20 or 30 minutes, but when I checked the sauce it had reduced to a nice thick consistency with a very robust aroma.
I chopped up some fresh basil (from the store, I won't have my own for a few weeks), and allowed about 5 for minutes to finish off the dish.
I served the sausage with simply some fresh grated Parmigiano-Reggiano. And of course, I finished off with some chilled homemade Limoncello.
Thanks for looking. Enjoy!
