RECIPE

Sausage with Chickpea Peperonata

• Recipe by Grace Parisi

Star Ingredient: Canned chickpeas

Peperonata is an Italian stew typically made with sweet peppers and tomatoes; my variation includes canned chickpeas and sweet Italian sausage—two ingredients I always keep in my pantry.

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Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 8 sweet Italian sausages (1 1/2 pounds), pricked
3. 2 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced
4. 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
5. 1 pound roasted red peppers, cut into strips (1 1/2 cups)
6. 1 1/2 teaspoons tomato paste
7. One 15-ounce can chickpeas, with their liquid
8. 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
9. Salt and freshly ground pepper
10. 2 cups baby arugula
11. Orzo or crusty bread, for serving

Directions

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat the olive oil. Add the sausages and cook over moderate heat, turning, until browned all over and nearly cooked through, about 12 minutes; transfer to a plate.
2. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper to the skillet and cook until the garlic is lightly browned, about 1 minute. Stir in the roasted red peppers and tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the chickpeas with their liquid, the oregano and the sausages, along with any accumulated juices, and season with salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer; cover and simmer over low heat until the sausages are cooked through, about 7 minutes.
3. Stir the arugula into the skillet and cook until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer the sausage and peperonata to a large serving bowl and serve with orzo or crusty bread.