How to make giambotta (Italian vegetable and sausage stew)

This dish was originally made either with all vegetables, or with the addition of Italian sausage. Growing up, Chef John remembers this being made with sweet Italian sausage occasionally, but most of the time it was hot dogs. Hot dogs were simply the least expensive sausage available, and so our grandparents, needing to feed many mouths without many dollars, chose this lower cost alternative. The strange thing is, it really works! It tastes wonderful no matter what sausage you chose