Escape Plan Roasted Red Pepper Ragu Sauce

Alright, here’s the situation: A roasted red pepper ragu sauce, bright, smoky, and slightly sweet - the kind of sauce that makes spaghetti feel like it’s in on a secret. Now, normally I use it on pasta, maybe a garlic bread or two. But it can also double as a tactical culinary device.

If you have prison escape plans, or other highly sensitive documents, definitely classified, and the guards were closing in faster than a speeding lunch cart - smothered the papers in the ragu. They disappeared under a glorious layer of sauce, tomato and red pepper hiding everything like a professional. One bite, and suddenly the plans will be in your stomach, safe from prying eyes, allowing you to get back to undercover work for Police Squad.

Ingredients

4 Red Peppers
1 Onion (cut in half and peeled)
4 Large Tomatoes (cut in half and cored)
4-5 cloves Garlic Peeled

1/4 cup fresh Basil Leaves
1/4 cup Olive Oil (plus 1 tbsp more)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan Cheese
6 Sweet Italian Sausages
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

On a charcoal grill with medium hot coals, a gas grill on medium heat, or oven pre-heated to 375 degrees, place the onion and tomato halves cut side down, whole red peppers directly on the grill (or cookie sheet if using an oven)
Poke several holes in the sausage casing and coat with olive oil. Place on grill or cookie sheet in the oven
Wrap the cloves of garlic in foil, season with salt and pepper and coat with olive oil. Place on the grill or oven.
Cook for 20-25 minutes turning in the middle of the cook time. The sausages should be golden brown, the peppers should be blistered.
Place the peppers in a paper bag to steam, set sausages aside, and place the onion, tomatoes and garlic in a blender with the olive oil and parmesan cheese
Let the peppers sit for 5 minutes in the paper bag to steam. Remove the peppers from the bag and peel the skin off and de-stem and de-seed the peppers. Add the pepper flesh to the blender
Blend vegetable smooth in blender
Cut the sausages into rounds
Pour the blender vegetable puree into a large dutch oven, add the sausage rounds and tear the basil leaves to add to the pot.
Bring mixture to a simmer. Simmer 10 minutes.
Serve over pasta.