Pepper and Spicy Sausage Pasta

From the kitchen of my sister Sylvia, another fine rustic recipe.

Ingredients:

• 3 onions, cut into chunks
• 2 large cloves garlic, crushed
• package of crimini mushrooms, halved
• jar of crushed tomatoes  or can of diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar or honey
• squeeze of Umami paste
• 1 teaspoon hot chili paste or crushed hot peppers
• 1 generous teaspoon of Spike Seasoning and dried basil
• 1 Tbsp each dried oregano and dried parsley
• 6 hot Italian Sausages, casings removed
• 3 large red peppers cut into chunks
• your favourite penne or rotini pasta (whole grain)

Cut the sausages into 6 pieces each, and in a deep frying pan or dutch oven, brown chunks of sausage on all sides without breaking it up. Add the onions, and allow them to soften and caramelize for 5 minutes. Add the peppers and mushrooms, and cook another 5 minutes.  Next add the Umami paste, crushed chilies, garlic and spices. Stir well. Finally, add the tomatoes and honey. Cover and cook on a low simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, stirring occasionally. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in about 4 cups cooked pasta and simmer another minute. Serve with arugula salad dressed with balsamic vinaigrette.

Editorial Note: For those who are unfamiliar with  umami. Here's the scoop from everyone's favourite online dictionary.... umami, a savory taste, is one of the five basic tastes, together with sweet, sour, bitter and salty. A loanword from the Japanese, umami can be translated as "pleasant savory taste". The human tongue has receptors for L-glutamate, which is the source of umami flavor. For that reason, scientists consider umami to be distinct from saltiness.