Sweet Sausage With Sweet and Sour Figs

Ohhh... to die for. If you can get Italian sausages from a butcher shop, great. If not, I find BJ's has a very acceptable sweet Italian Sausage.

• Ready In: 45 mins
• Serves: 12

Ingredients

• 1 1⁄2 lbs  sweet Italian sausage
• 1  tablespoon olive oil
• 4  tablespoons white wine
• 2  teaspoons tomato sauce
•  salt and pepper
• 1  cup sugar
• 1  cup red wine vinegar
• 1  cinnamon stick
• 4  cloves
• 1  slice lemon
• 10  ounces dried figs (I used mission)

Directions

1. To make figs combine sugar, vinegar, cinnamon , cloves and lemon slice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil , then simmer for 5 minutes. Add figs, cover and simmer til tender, about 30 minutes Cool figs in syrup,letting them sit til they come to room temperature Can do this early in day or day before.
2. Cook sausages in oil and 2 tablespoons of the wine til cooked and brown. Remove from heat and slice into bite sized pieces. Pour off fat from pan and deglaze with 4 tablespoons of water and remaining wine. Add tomato sauce, salt and pepper and simmer 1 minute. Add figs with syrup to sausages and heat thru.
3. To serve cut figs into bite size pieces and spear sausages and figs on tooth picks and serve warm. After cutting figs I kept everything in the pan on a low simmer til ready to serve. I assembled them immediately before serving.