Cooking with wine recipe: Italian Sausage and Pears in Red Wine Sauce

- 4 mild or hot Italian sausages
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
-½ medium onion, peeled and minced
- 2 ripe pears, peeled, cored and thickly sliced
- ½ cup dry red wine
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste

1. Place the sausage in a large skillet and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat slightly and cook at a low boil for 10 minutes. Drain the water from the pan. Pierce the sausages and cook about 5 minutes, or until browned and cooked through. Remove from the pan and slice thickly. Set aside.

2. Drain the fat from the pan. Pour olive oil into pan, add the onion and sauté over medium heat until softened, about 10 minutes. Add the pears and sauté 3 minutes, or until just beginning to soften. Remove onion and pears from the pan; set aside.

3. Turn the heat to high and pour in the wine. Boil for about 3 minutes, until reduced and thickened. Season with salt and pepper. Put the sausage, pears and onion back into the pan and heat through for 2 minutes. Serve immediately.