Cooking with wine

"I like cooking with wine,

and sometimes I even put it in the food!"

Here's a tasty winter meal if you have a few ripe pears in the kitchen. John always gives it a big thumb's up. Hey, could it be the wine?

Fancy, expensive sausages are in around here, but we think the best brand in Seattle is still good old Isernio's. The texture and flavor are fine, and only about 100 calories per dog.

Italian Sausage and Pears in Red Wine Sauce

4 mild (or hot) Italian sausages
2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, finely sliced
2 pears, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
1/2 cup dry red wine
Salt and pepper to taste

First, cook the sausages. Put a little water in the bottom of the skillet, then cover and steam them for 10 minutes or so. Let the water evaporate, and they'll brown in their own juices. The Isernio's sausages are so lean, I have to drizzle them with olive oil.
Then set the sausages aside, and brown the onions slowly until they are very soft. Add the sliced pears and stir gently about 5 minutes.
Next add the 1/2 cup of red wine, and cook until the wine is reduced by about half.
Put the sausages back in the skillet to reheat, and add a nice blob of butter to bind the sauce.
We had them with yellow squash and hash browns, of all things. But it would be fine with pasta or even just bread to sop up the good sauce.