On the Fred Honsberger (Honzman) show on KDKA-AM, Ernie Ricci of Ricci's Italian Sausage serves Ray Clark of BBC RADIO CAMBRIDGESHIRE (UK) to a "proper" Pittsburgh breakfast. Listen to Fred Honsberger on KDKA-AM 1020 from 3:00PM - 6:00PM Monday -Friday.
STELLA'S HOT ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH SAUCE
Sauté sliced onions and peppers in olive oil until translucent. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
Chop and blend in a blender, 2 cans (lg) of Italian plum tomatoes, one can at a time. Add whole basil to the sauce.
Stir blended tomatoes into the pot of peppers and onions.
Prepare sausage - Boil sausage "RING" in large pot for approximately ten minutes and poke holes in sausage with a fork. Drain and cut the sausage into 4"pieces. Brown the sausage pieces lightly in a frying pan - then add to sauce.
Cook on medium to low heat for about an hour until the sauce acquires a "good taste." For a sweeter taste, you may add sugar to the sauce.
LIL'S SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE WITH PEPPERS & ONIONS
Saute' sliced peppers and onions in butter until translucent. Add salt, pepper and garlic powder to taste.
For a special presentation, use green, yellow and red peppers.
Sauté portabella mushrooms in butter/wine
Prepare sausge - Boil sausage "RING" in a large pot for approximately ten minutes and poke holes in sausage with a fork.
Drain and cut the sausage into "bite-sized" pieces and brown.
Cook on low heat for 45 minutes, stir occasionally.
. . ."You have probably already sampled RICCI'S sausage. It's on the menu at dozens of Italian restaurants and in the best sausage sandwiches around town. . ."
. . .PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE
SUN-DRIED TOMATO BISCUITS CON RICCI'S SWEET ITALIAN SAUSAGE GRAVY.
This recipe was featured on QED COOKS, "B is for Brunch."
Ernie Ricci, Chris Fennimore (QED Cooks), and Sherry Ricci - "In the Kitchen!"
RISOTTO ALLA PIEMONTESE
QED Cooks - Pittsburgh Home & Garden Show - 2003
Ingredients:
1/2 pound butter
1/2 small onion
White Pepper
1 tablespoon dry white wine
1 pound imported Italian rice (Arborio)
1 pkg. baby portobello mushrooms (sliced)
5 cups consomme' (beef or chicken) Note: can substitute College Inn beef or chicken broth
3/4 cup Pecorino Romano cheese (grated)
1 pound Ricci's sweet Italian sausage (bulk - no casing)
handful of fresh basil (chopped)
Saute' and brown Ricci's loose Italian sweet sausage. Drain and set aside.
Melt butter in a large pan and saute' onion until golden. Add pepper to taste. Add wine and cook until it evaporates. Add rice and cook 5-6 minutes, until translucent. Stir in mushrooms, add consomme', 1/2 cup at a time, stirring continuously with a wooden spoon. When rice is nearly done (al dente), add cooked sausage. Continue stirring and then add 1/2 Pecorino Romano cheese. The finished rice should be a yellow color. Spoon the risotto into a serving dish and serve with the remaining cheese and ground black pepper.
This dish can also be made with red sauce by adding your favorite spaghetti sauce to the mixture at the end.