Sausages with Tomatoes & Capsicums

As the days become increasingly shorter and that late afternoon nip in the air has us retreating back into the warmth and comfort of our homes, I find myself craving thick slices of hot buttered toast, multiple cups of tea and creating meals that wrap us up in their rich sauces, their warming spices and that good, honest old-fashioned heartiness that makes one feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

What could be more comforting than plump pork sausages cooked in a rich red tomato sauce. It is the type of meal that most definitely requires freshly sliced buttered bread to mop up any of those remaining saucy bits. Steaming hot potatoes tossed with a good glug of olive oil, salt and a few cracks of black pepper make this meal the perfect fare for those icy-cold, wood-smoke stained evenings.

Oh, and if by chance you happen to have leftover sauce, it is perfect stirred through pasta the following day for a hot lunch or an easy dinner.

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Sausages with tomatoes and capsicums

Serves 3-4

550-600g pork sausages (buy the best quality you can, it makes a huge difference)

3 tbsp olive oil

1 brown onion, sliced

2 large or 6 small capsicums, sliced and the membranes and seeds removed (I love using the reds, yellows and oranges for their sweetness)

500g passata

1/2 cup of water, just fill up the passata bottle with some water and give it a good swish around and then measure this out so that you make sure you don't leave any of that sauce behind

sea salt and black pepper

parsley for serving

Over a medium heat add in the olive oil to a medium sized frypan with a lid, add the onion and capsicums along with a pinch of salt and cook until starting to caramelise. Add the passata and the water and bring to the boil, reduce to a steady simmer and continue to cook for another 3 minutes. Next add in the sausages, arranging them so that they fit snuggly into the sauce. Bring to the boil once again and then cover and cook on a low-medium heat so that they just bubble away nicely for about 30 minutes (the sausages I use are quite thick). Halfway through cooking, turn them onto their other side.

Remove the lid and continue to cook for another 5-10 minutes or until the sauce has thickened slightly. Season to taste.

Scatter over the parsley and serve with fresh bread and boiled potatoes which have been tossed with a good glug of olive oil, salt and cracked black pepper.