italian subs with sausage and peppers

dig in to part two of the italian american sandwich series in collab with ada's deli

as i hope you already know, this recipe is part two of a collab on italian american sandwiches with my friend, a talented chef, food stylist and entreprenuer, julian.

we already introduced you to our triple-decker, three cheese eggplant parmesan sandwiches (watch the video here), and this week we’re happy to share our take on the italian sub with sausage and peppers.

unconventionally served on a garlic butter slathered and toasted sub roll (if you’re in berlin the best bet for sourcing these long, soft sub-style rolls is at a turkish bakery), we also decided to bring through some new flavors by using italian fennel sausage and adding sliced fennel to the onion and pepper mix. mild provolone cheese, burnished and bubbling, is the finishing touch to these easy subs; watch us make it here.

if there’s an italian american sandwich (or a classic italian american dish you think can be sandwich-ified) that you want to us tackle in this series, let us know in the comments below!

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makes 2 sandwiches

for the garlic bread

2 soft sub or hoagie rolls

4 tablespoons butter

2 cloves garlic

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

1 teaspoon salt

to assemble

2 small onions (we used a mix of red and white)

2 bell peppers (we used red and yellow)

1 bulb fennel

3 italian fennel sausages (substitute: any raw italian sausages in casings)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar (substitute: white wine vinegar)

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili flakes (optional)

150 grams sliced provolone cheese (substitute: sliced edam or emmentaler cheese)

salt

black pepper

1. slice the rolls in half lengthwise, keeping one edge intact so you have a bun that folds over onto itself. add butter to a large frying pan over medium heat. grate the garlic into the pan and let cook until butter is completely melted. add the chopped parsley and salt and remove from the heat. spoon half the garlic butter onto the cut sides of each of the buns and set aside. wipe out the pan, we’ll use this for frying the sausages and vegetables.

2. peel and thinly slice onions. core bell peppers and thinly slice. trim bottom and top of fennel and thinly slice. slice sausages in half lengthwise.

3. add olive oil to the wiped out frying pan and set over medium high heat. fry sausages on both sides until the exposed meat is starting to brown and they’re cooked through, about 8 minutes, then remove and set aside.

4. add vegetables directly to the hot pan and lower the heat to medium. add red wine vinegar, dried oregano, chili flakes, salt and pepper, then cover and let cook on medium-low heat for 20 minutes or until very soft and tender. check frequently to stir and add a few tablespoons of water if things are looking too dry or you’re worried about anything burning.

5. once the vegetables are very soft and tender and any added liquid has evaporated, add the sausages back into the pan to warm through for about 5 minutes. preheat your oven’s broiler or grill function and move an oven rack to the highest place in your oven.

6. open up the garlic-buttered buns and transfer to a baking sheet. toast in the oven until golden around the edges. fill each with half of the sausages (3 slices) and vegetables. top each with half the sliced provolone cheese and broil until the cheese is melted. close the top of the bun over the sandwich, slice in half, and serve immediately.