Bologna Inspired

The cold weather is about to enter into the low digits; so light a roaring fire in the fireplace and keep the big soup pot at the ready. You could make my Baked Potato Soup as a quick way to warm up. Or, how about cooking-up a brothy and hearty tortellini soup. (The tortellini originates from the north-cental part of Italy). Serve with my Fennel & Green Bean Salad and Homemade Biscuits for a complete meal. 

BTW--To answer a much often asked viewer question about my TV show; yes, 100% of my recipes are cooked on air and are eaten by my TV crew. Hey, it’s part of their job!

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Tortellini Basil Soup

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1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 cup sweet onion, chopped

8 cloves caramelized garlic

1 cup canned San Marzano Tomatoes, chopped

4 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

1 quarter cup fresh spinach leaves, shredded

8 cups chicken or vegetable broth

8 ounces cheese tortellini

1 cup small white beans, cooked or canned

Pinch nutmeg

Grated parmesan cheese to taste

Fresh ground black pepper

Pre heat a medium soup pot to medium temperature.

Add olive oil, onion, garlic, tomatoes and cook for 4-5 minutes.  Pour in broth and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer and add tortellini, spinach, basil, and white beans. Simmer until tortellinis are al dente and season with nutmeg, pepper. Add parmesan cheese to taste. Serve with a basil leaf on top. 

NOTE: This recipe requires a good quality tortellini if you are cooking the pasta in the broth. A lesser quality tortellini will make the soup starchy. If you are not sure of the quality, cook the tortellini separately and add pasta to the soup right before serving. 

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Ribs and Sauce

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Ribs & Sauce — a perfect relationship

Everyone has a favorite way to serve ribs. Some like it dry with just a rub, others will dip dry ribs and wet them down with a vinegary sauce; or slather them up with a sugary sticky sauce right before coming off the grill. I'm often asked how I like my ribs the best. Really, I like them both ways, it just depends on what mood I'm in. It's definitely going to be a sticky rib weekend!

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Ribs cannot be prepared in a hurry, so toss a burger on a separate hot grill while you wait. How-to prepare the Ribs.

For Making Ribs with Sticky Sauce:

15 minutes prior to removing the slow cooked ribs, brush ribs lightly with a little sauce to moisten and add flavor. Remove, cut and serve ribs as is or serve extra sauce on side for pouring over ribs. 

GH Rib Sauce Recipe

 Makes 3 cups

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1/2 cup onion, chopped

2 green onions, chopped

3 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped

1/4 cup cider vinegar

1/4 cup orange juice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon thyme

1 Tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons fresh grated orange zest

1 cup ketchup 

1 cup tomato sauce

1 teaspoon hot sauce

Place the onion, green onions, garlic, cumin, thyme, vinegar, orange juice, and sugar in a small pot.  Boil until the vinegar is reduced by half.  Add orange zest, soy sauce, ketchup, tomato sauce, hot sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

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Asado

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In South America it’s a custom on weekends to get together with family and friends and eat meat, and lots of it! Slow roasting many types of meat, mostly beef over an open fire derives this tradition from ranching/farming countries like Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Chile and Uruguay. This grilling party called an asado can also be a great way to party this time of year at the American tradition of ‘tailgating'.

In Argentina, beef is king. A parillada mixta, or mixed grill, is Argentina's ritualistic meal event. Sides of beef rotate slowly for at least two hours on vertical spits around a fire pit, waiting to be carved in pieces by asadores (grill chefs).  

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Other types of grilled meats include roasts, sausages, steaks, ribs, sweetbreads, intestines, and more. The average person consumes 2 pounds of beef at a single meal, topping the grilled meats with nothing more than a very flavorful garlic and vinegary parsley condiment called Chimichurri. Meats are served with sides of bread, fried potatoes, corn, and a simple salad of lettuce, tomatoes and onions.

In Brazil they will take more than beef to the grill by grilling lamb, pork, chicken and goat; all paraded to the table on ‘Three Musketeer” sword like skewers. This carnivore's event is called the churrascaria rodizio.

Try something new, make your Know Your Fire weekend an event beyond South America. Maybe for your next tailgate you can consider preparing a South American Asado with a parillada mixta or churrascaria rodizio.

Chimichurri

aka Chimmichurri is an Argentine marinade and sauce usually used for steak. But why should this easy-to-make flavorful sauce only grace a rib or strip steak when burgers are sadly only topped with ketchup.

Prepared simply by combing, fresh chopped flat leaf or Italian parsley, fresh chopped garlic, olive oil, fresh lemon juice, a few red pepper flakes, pinch of sea salt and ground black pepper.  Amounts are according to your passion and personal taste!

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