Recipe: Italian Sausages with Grapes and Vinegar harks back to the old country

Italian Sausages with Grapes and Vinegar is a dish that has roots established long ago in the vineyards of Italy. The dish was designed to feed Umbrian laborers working with the grapes. The sausage’s meatiness pairs deliciously with the sweet tart notes of red grapes and balsamic vinegar.

I prefer turkey sweet Italian sausages in this dish, but the choice is yours. Traditionally it is served accompanied with polenta, but for a weeknight entrée, I serve it accompanied with a mixed green salad teaming with raw vegetables. This time of year, seedless Red Muscato grapes are available in the marketplace; they are delicious in this concoction.

Italian Sausage with Grapes and Vinegar

Yield: 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon vegetable oil or canola oil

1 1/2 pounds sweet Italian sausage (not bulk, the type in casings)

1 pound seedless red grapes, halved from top to bottom (3 cups)

1 onion, halved, thinly sliced

1/4 cup water

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper and 1/8 teaspoon salt

1/4 cup dry white wine

1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or fresh basil

2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint

PROCEDURE

1. Heat oil in 12-inch skillet on medium heat until shimmering. Arrange sausages in pan and cook, turning once, until browned on 2 sides, about 5 minutes. Tilt skillet and carefully remove excess (but not all) fat with paper towel. Distribute grapes and onion over and around sausages. Add water and cover. Cook, turning sausages once, until cooked through (instant-read thermometer should read between 160 and 165 degrees) and onions and grapes have softened, about 10 minutes.

2. Transfer sausages to paper towel-lined plate and cover with aluminum foil. Return skillet to medium-high heat and stir in pepper and salt. Spread grape-onion mixture in even layer and cook without stirring until browned, 3 to 5 minutes. Continue to cook, stirring frequently, until mixture is well browned, and grapes are soft but still retain their shape, about 3 minutes longer. Reduce heat to medium and stir in wine and oregano; cook, scrapping any browned bits, until wine is reduced by half, about 30 to 60 seconds. Remove pan from heat and stir in vinegar.

3. Arrange sausages on serving platter and spoon grape-onion mixture over top. Sprinkle with mint and serve.

Source: “Cook’s Illustrated Sunday Suppers” (America’s Test Kitchen,, $22.95)

Cooking question? Contact Cathy Thomas at [email protected]