Make this dish in late summer or early autumn when plums are at their peak. Serve with rice pilaf to enjoy every drop of sauce.
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
4 whole cloves
6 ripe purple plums
11/2 pounds Sweet Italian Sausage links, Fresh Kielbasa links, or purchased sausage
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons cornstarch
1. Combine sugar, vinegar, wine, cinnamon stick, and cloves in a non-reactive saucepan, and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Simmer 5 minutes, then add plums, cover the pan, and simmer plums for 10 minutes over low heat. Remove plums from the pan with a slotted spoon, reserving poaching liquid. Strain poached liquid and return it to the pan. When cool enough to handle, remove and discard stones and slice fruit. Set aside.
2. While plums poach, prick sausages on all sides, and broil 4 to 6 inches from the broiler element for 5 to 7 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink, turning them with tongs to brown on all sides. Allow sausages to sit for 5 minutes, then cut them into 1-inch pieces, and cover sausage to foil to keep warm.
3. Add sausage slices to reserved poaching liquid. Bring to a boil, and simmer sausages, covered, over low heat, turning occasionally with a slotted spoon, for 15 minutes. Remove sausages from the pan with a slotted spoon, and add to plum slices.
6. Cook poaching liquid over medium-high heat until reduced by half. Mix cornstarch with 1 tablespoon cold water in a small bowl, and add to sauce. Cook for 1 minute, or until slightly thickened. Return sausages and plums to sauce to reheat, and serve immediately.
Note: The dish can be cooked up to 2 days in advance and refrigerated, tightly covered. Reheat it in a 350°F oven, covered, for 15 to 20 minutes, or until hot.