Stuffed Peppers

4 medium green peppers
2 T butter
2 T olive oil
¾ c chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic minced
1/2 lb shredded zucchini (about 1 ½ )
¾ lb sweet Italian sausage, out of the casing
½ c grated parmesan cheese
1 c fresh bread crumbs
1 egg beaten

Slice the tops off of the peppers, remove seeds and veins.
Blanch peppers in boiling water for 5 minutes. Remove, drain, and pat dry. Set aside.
Heat butter and olive oil, sauté the onion and garlic over med heat until soft not brown. Add the zucchini and fry stirring occasionally until all the moisture is absorbed. Place into a bowl.
In another pan, cook the sausage until brown. 8-10 minutes. Drain and cool. Break up the pieces. Add to the bowl with the zucchini.
Stir in the bread crumbs, cheese, and the beaten egg. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Season the inside of the peppers with a little salt and pepper. Spoon in the filling.
Cover with tops. Place in a greased pan. Peppers should be standing.
Bake at 375 for 40 minutes.

Serve with home made “Roasted Tomato Sauce”:

Coat an 8” square pan with olive oil
Thinly slice the tomatoes and line the pan with a layer of tomatoes
Sprinkle with salt and pepper, a little basil and some parmesan cheese.
Add some minced garlic and a little chopped onion
Add 2 more layers of tomato slices
And sprinkle again with spices, onion, garlic and cheese. Top with a layer of tomato.
Drizzle with a little more olive oil.
Bake at 400 for 40 – 50 minutes. Tomatoes should be a little brown, may be a
Little charred. Liquid in the pan should be simmering.
Allow to cool, process gently in batches in a food processor.

My mother would make this for us when she had some soft tomatoes. There was really never any definite recipe, it was all to taste. She would roast the Tomatoes and serve them as a side dish. I have roasted them and used them as a Pizza topping or as a topping on Chicken Cutlets for a sort of chicken parmesan. As a puree I have canned this tomato sauce with my students in school so that we have a fresh sauce to use during the year for many different projects. This has always been a family favorite and my students love it as well! The recipe could be easily doubled in a 13×9” pan.