Braised Italian Sausage with Grapes & Balsamic-Glazed Onions

Red Grapes

by Cat, February 17, 2013 (Photo, right, from Wikimedia Commons)

I’ve been looking for casseroles I can make to have leftovers, but most include some kind of high-carb food: bread, noodles, pasta, etc., and such are not good for my ketogenic diet. One alternative is quick, easy to make skillet meals – almost as quick as reheating leftovers – and this recipe adapted from Fine Cooking.com (1) just hits the spot.

Italian sausage comes in two types, flavor-wise: sweet sausage and hot sausage. This recipe uses sweet Italian sausage, which is excellent with the grapes and balsamic glaze. It also comes in to preparation types: large links in a casing, or in bulk. For this recipe, use the sausages in a casing.

See also: 1. Lamb, Pork & Small Game Menu; 2. Mediterranean Menu; 3. Sausage (About)

Braised Italian Sausage with Grapes

The  original recipe serves 4, so for me, that’s a lot of leftovers. So I’ve adapted this to serve 2.

Use links sausage (1 – 1 ½” thick), not bulk sausage for this dish. Braising them is one of the best ways to cook meats, because they are first browned/seared in fat, then simmered with added moisture (water, broth, vinegar, etc.) until done, which avoids creating the problematic glycation end products of high-heat cooking. However, olive oil cannot hold up to higher heat, so be sure to use medium-low and don’t let it smoke.

The trick with cooking sausage this way is to pierce them with a fork in several places before braising. The sausages will release their juices to flavor the broth. Alternately, you can use lard for browning the sausage, and then add olive oil to cook the onions.

Serve with a nice green salad, and if you’re not on a ketogenic diet, serve also with a crusty bread and olive oil dip or lots of butter.

Ingredients & Equipment

• 4 links sweet Italian sausage (about 14 – 18 oz)
• ½ – 1 large yellow onion
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• Unrefined sea salt
• 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
• ¼ cup rich chicken broth
• 10 – 20 red seedless grapes, halved
• 1 – 1½ Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
• Equipment:
• large cast iron skillet or heavy-bottomed saucier, with lid
• large plate

Method

1. Prep: Prick sausages in several places with a fork.
2. Slice onion thinly into rounds (about 1 cup). Wash and halve the grapes. Chop oregano.
3. Cook: Heat 1 Tbsp oil in skillet over medium heat, add sausages and cook, turning every couple minutes, until browned all over, about 8 minutes. Transfer to plate.
4. Add remaining 1 Tbsp oil and onion to the skillet, sprinkle with ½ tsp salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and starts to caramelize, about 7 minutes.
5. Add vinegar and broth, scraping the bottom of the skillet with a wooden spoon to incorporate any browned bits.
6. Reduce to gentle simmer; add sausages and grapes, cover with lid ajar, and cook, stirring occasionally, until sausages are cooked through  (slice into one to check), about 25 minutes.
7. Sprinkle with the fresh oregano, and continue to simmer another 15-20 minutes for the flavors to meld, before serving. NOTE: if using dried oregano, you’ll need about 1 tsp, and add it to the simmering mixture for the last 5 minutes of cooking.