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!

Tortellini Basil Soup

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

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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Pulled Pork Soup

What could be more timely than a comforting bowl of soup?

Pulled Pork Soup

Makes about 8 quarts or 25 hearty servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

For the pork shoulder:

1 small pork shoulder or pork butt, approximately 5-6 pounds

4 Tablespoons olive oil

Rub pork on all sides with Pork Rub, and refrigerate for at least two 2 hours or overnight.

Pre heat grill to medium heat.

Brush pork shoulder with olive oil. Roast pork on all sides about 1 hour until brown and not fully cooked. 

Optional: Hot smoke with wood chips for a smokier flavored soup.

Remove and place pork in soup pot. Place soup pot on side burner of grill or on grill top, and continue with pea soup recipe as below.

Pork Rub

2 Tablespoons brown sugar

1 Tablespoon each: black pepper, garlic powder, sweet paprika, chili powder, thyme

1/2 teaspoon each: nutmeg, allspice, sea salt

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and mix well. Store in a tightly sealed container.

To prepare soup:

2 pounds yellow split peas, rinsed in cold water

8 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped fine

2 cups sweet onion, chopped small

2 cups celery, chopped small

2 cups carrots, chopped small 

8 quarts cold water

4 cups potatoes, scrubbed well and diced

4 cups Kale, chopped

3 bay leaves

1 Tablespoon hot sauce

fresh ground black pepper

Rinse the split peas in a large bowl, drain the peas and discard the water.

Add browned pork shoulder to a very large soup pot.

Preheat pot and add the garlic, onions, celery, and carrots. Cook for 5 minutes or until the vegetables are lightly brown.

Add the water, bay leaves, hot sauce, and black pepper. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 3 hours or until the pork is tender. Remove pork, cool, pull and chop meat into small pieces. Put pork back into soup.

Add potatoes, split peas, kale and simmer for 1 more hour or until peas are tender. 

If you like a creamy soup, puree or pulse half of the soup. Return to the soup to the pot, bring to a boil to blend, then serve.

Good for you fact:

Making a warm bowl of pea soup may be good for those cold fall months, but did you know that it’s good for your heart as well? Pea soup is loaded with potassium and fiber, which reduces your blood pressure.

Tips for picking out the perfect pea:

There are two types of split peas, green and yellow. Both have the same nutritional value and cooking time, yet some yellow peas may have a milder taste then the sometimes sweeter green pea. Some peas need to be soaked overnight and looked over to make sure there are no pebbles or bad peas in your selection. Pea soup ranges from smooth to chunky with added vegetables and or especially smoked or grilled meats.

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Mussels Provencale

Coastal living makes me say “hello seafood.” My rule with cooking seafood is the simpler, the better; as well as believing in keeping it as local as possible. The classical way I learned to cook mussels years ago a la Moules Marinières, or mussels in the style of the sea, synonymous with summers in France. I have prepared many versions versions of this style all with success, key to the recipe is freshness.

These mussels were sourced and cooked within 2 hours of harvest. Walk don’t run! 

Chef George Hirsch Mussels Provencale

Mussels Provencale

Makes four servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | George Hirsch Lifestyle

2 pounds mussels, cleaned and remove beard

2 Tablespoons olive oil

8 cloves fresh garlic, pealed and chopped 

1/4 sweet white onion, chopped

1 green onion, chopped  

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1 cup white wine

1 sprig fresh thyme

3 Tablespoons fresh parsley, washes & chopped 

1 Tablespoon fresh basil, chopped

1 ripe tomato, cut into small pieces 

Preheat a large sauce pot, large enough to hold the mussels. Add olive oil, garlic, onion, and hot pepper flakes. Cook for 1 minute. Add mussels and white wine. Cover pot and cook until mussels open, about 4-5 minutes. Shake pot to mix up mussels.

Remove mussels with a slotted skimmer, leaving all the juice in pot. Add parsley, basil, and tomatoes. Bring mussel juice to a boil and reduce juice by half. 

Caution to not over cook the mussels because they will become dry and rubbery. Remember to discard any that do not open as this indicates that the mussel was dead and will most likely be spoiled.

George Hirsch Mussels Provencale with Dipping Sauce

Good tip: The jewel in eating mussels is to get the right balance of the mussel meat with the fantastic broth juices that come from cooking the mussels with wine, garlic and herbs. No utensils needed, use the mussel's shell as your spoon. Pick up the freshly steamed mussel in the opened hinged ‘valve’ (the shell). Break the valve in-half, discard one half of the shell. With the second half valve (shell) that now has the mussel meat, dip the half-shell and mussel meat into the warm broth scooping up just the right amount of juice to meat. Now, politely slurp the mussel along with the broth in the same mouthful. Mouth watering. Heaven! Sometimes I see others do a dip using a fork, but they are missing the gold, the broth!

Try this next time you prepare mussels, instead of using a fork and dipping into the broth that will just slide off your mussel meat. What to do with empty shells? I have observed other connoisseurs of mussel eating that includes arranging the eaten empty half valves into unique patterns on plates. 

Simple and ready in minutes. But do yourself a favor, have plenty of good bread on hand to dip and soak up any leftover broth. Summer - here we come!

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Gnocchi

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Gnocchi is an excellent accompaniment for meat and poultry dishes. When prepared right, they are light as pillows, like dumplings. The secret is to not over mix the dough and to use just the right amount of flour. There are so many ways to make gnocchi; I prefer to bake the potatoes instead of steaming them, making a softer dough. Gnocchi is quite popular in the Mediterranean, with each country having their own version. I share below my version of Gnocchi which pairs well with bitter greens, like spinach.

Potato Gnocchi

Recipe Chef George Hirsch | chefgeorgehirsch.com

2 pounds russets (baking potatoes)

Approximately 2 cups flour (variable) 

1 large egg

A pinch of sea salt

Pre heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake potatoes until easily pierced with a fork or a paring knife will easy slip through potatoes. Cool slightly, then peel the potatoes. 

Mash them while they’re still warm (a potato ricer or food mill works best). Season the potatoes with a pinch of salt and slowly knead in enough flour to obtain a fairly firm, smooth, non-sticky dough; exactly how much flour depends on the moisture from the potatoes. Add the egg, and enough flour so the dough does not stick to your hands. 

Knead the dough for 4-5 minutes, as it will resemble regular pasta dough. Divide the dough into four pieces.

Roll the dough out into a rope shape about 2/3 of an inch thick, cut the rope into one-inch pieces, and gently score the pieces crosswise with a fork to obtain slight ridges. With your finger, gently roll the pressed dough back off the fork. This may take a little practice. If the dough sticks to the fork, dip the fork in flour before you press the dough against it. Making this shape will help the gnocchi grab on to the tasty sauce it’s served with. 

Cook the gnocchi in abundant salted boiling water, removing them with a slotted spoon a minute or two after they rise to the surface. Drain them well and serve them with a few leaves of sage, melted unsalted butter and Parmesan, or meat sauce, or pesto sauce. 

Serve immediately while they are full of steam. The gnocchi are wonderfully light when hot. Once they cool off they become dense like a tire without air.

Gnocchi with Spinach

recipe Chef George Hirsch | Makes four servings

 1 lb. Gnocchi

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cloves garlic, chopped

1/4 cup onion, chopped

2 cups fresh spinach, washed

4 fresh plum tomatoes, split de-seeded & chopped

2 Tablespoons Parmesan cheese

2 Tablespoons fresh basil, chopped

Fresh ground black pepper

Heat a large pot with boiling water.

Pre heat sauté pan to medium temperature.  Add olive oil, garlic, onion and sauté for 2-3 minutes. Add spinach and cover, reduce heat and cook for one minute. Remove from burner until the gnocchi is cooked. 

Add Gnocchi to rapidly boiling water. Simmer, until all gnocchi float to the top. Then cook one more minute.

Remove gnocchi from water and place directly into sauté pan.  Add fresh plum tomatoes and 1 cup of water from gnocchi pot, heat gnocchi with spinach sauce for 2 minutes.

Serve Gnocchi & Spinach topped with cheese, basil and pepper.

Make ahead Tip: Place any remaining uncooked Gnocchi in a container, dust with corn meal and freeze until you are ready to boil.

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Gnocchi with Crispy Sausage & Swiss Chard

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Plus, join me for this weekend Create TV marathon, Super Sandwiches Sat 7AM, 7PM; and (Sat 10PM PST) (Sun 1AM EST) + Sun 1PM EST 

Enjoy this warming dish made with simple, yet quality ingredients to prepare for any occasion

George’s Gnocchi with Crispy Sausage & Swiss Chard

Makes 6 servings

chefgeorgehirsch.com | georgehirschlifestyle

1 Tablespoon Olive Oil

8 ounces Italian Sausage, cooked whole, cooled then sliced thin

4 cups Swiss Chard, Tuscan Kale, or spinach; washed, green leaves roughly chopped

8 cloves caramelized garlic

2 apples, 1 green / 1 red, chopped small

2 fresh sage leaves

1 pound gnocchi

½ cup of water from gnocchi

¼ cup Parmesan cheese or to taste

Fresh ground black pepper 

Pre heat a large sauté pan to medium high heat.

Heat a large pot of water to a boil.

To the sauté pan, add 1 Tablespoon olive oil, sliced sausage and cooked until sausage begins to crisp and brown. Remove sausage and add remaining olive oil, kale, apples and sage. Cover and cook for 5 minutes or until kale and apples soften.

Meanwhile, add gnocchi to the boiling water and simmer for 5-6 minutes. Remove gnocchi with a strainer and add to the kale. Top with crispy sausage and Parmesan cheese.

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