A Twist On Jamie Oliver’s Oven Baked Sausage Ragu

Here’s another recipe I saw on Jamie Oliver’s show Jamie At Home. If you are lucky enough to have a pizza oven, this is something that would cook perfectly in it. For the rest of us, this recipe also cooks perfectly in a hot oven. It is a wonderfully rustic, tomato sauce with chunks of sausage, herbs, and I added peppers and onions. It’s perfect with pasta or even in a crusty Italian roll. It is easy as pie to make as everything goes in one roaster pan, and that’s it! This would also be a great appetizer. Perfect made on the grille on a hot Summer’s day.

Note: Jamie’s original recipe does not call for the peppers and onions. After making for the first time last year, I thought adding the peppers and onions really gave it that extra touch. For this version I omitted the peppers and onions, but like it much better with the peppers and onions!

Rustic Sausage Bake

4-1/2 lbs. ripe tomatoes, in season i possible
2 green peppers, sliced in to chunks
1 large onion, sliced in to chunks
2 sprigs each of fresh thyme, rosemary and 6 bay leaves
1 tablespoon dried oregano
3 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
12 good-quality Italian sausages
extra virgin olive oil
balsamic vinegar
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375°F. Get yourself an appropriately sized roasting tray, large enough to take the tomatoes in one layer. Drizzle in some olive oil and heat over medium high heat until hot. Add herbs and cook just a minute until the herbs start to emit their aromas. Off heat, nestle in all your tomatoes, garlic, peppers, onions and sausages on top. Add a little  additional extra virgin olive oil, a drizzle of balsamic vinegar, and season with salt and pepper. Toss together, then make sure the sausages are on top and pop the tray into the oven for half an hour. After this time, give it a shake and turn the sausages over. Put back into the oven for 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how golden and sticky you like your sausages.

Once it’s cooked, you’ll have an intense, tomato sauce. If it’s a little too thin, (which it can be depending on the fresh tomatoes), lift out the sausages and place the tray on the stove top to cook it down to the consistency you like – then put the sausages back in. Check the seasoning and serve either with a good-quality loaf of bread warmed through in a low oven for 10 minutes (great for mopping up the sauce!) or with mashed potato, pasta, rice or polenta.