Tortellini With Italian Meat, Artichokes, And Roasted Garlic Sauce

Last night I was not in the mood to cook, and I almost called "On-Your-Own" for dinner.  But as I peeked in my pantry to see what I might make for myself, I was struck with an idea. 

I had: a box of cheese-stuffed tortellini, a jar of roasted garlic cream sauce (King Soopers' pasta aisle special), and a can of artichoke hearts.   I knew I had a few slices of salami (genoa and dry - from a recent Italian sandwich bender) and some fresh Parmesan in the fridge.  Well, that sounds pretty good!

Drain and cut up the artichokes (fairly small pieces), and set aside in a medium bowl.  Cut up the salami and stir into the artichokes.  Season with a bit of pepper and some red pepper flakes.  Boil water for the tortellini and dump the cream sauce into a separate pot, set on medium heat.  Cook the tortellini until just done and drain.  Once the cream sauce begins to bubble, add the artichoke/salami mixture and stir together.  Add the cooked pasta and toss to coat.  Serve in pasta bowls and finish with a sprinkle of Parmesan.  Yum!! 

I'm thinking you could also add some sun-dried tomatoes, some capers, olives, or even some peperoncini to the dish.  Oooh, you could ditch the tortellini and spread the mixture on some pizza dough, instead.  The possibilities!!!

Slow Cooker Pork Ribs

Wow!  So easy and soooo good!  Here's an easy fall-off-the-bone way to prepare delicious pulled pork meat for a crazy good dinner.

Here's what you'll need:

1 rack of meaty bone-in pork ribs, cut into smaller sections so it will all fit in your crockpot
4 or 5 bottles of beer, or enough to cover the ribs once in the pot (I used Shiner Cheer - malty, peachy, cinnamon-y; but you can use whatever you choose - the original recipe called for PBR)
4 or 5 smashed garlic cloves
10 or so whole peppercorns
4 or 5 whole cloves
1 bay leaf
1 tsp or so of kosher salt
1 bottle of your favorite BBQ sauce

Put everything except the BBQ sauce in the crockpot and cook for 8 hours on low.

Eight hours later, pull the ribs from the pot.  If the meat falls off the bone, you've succeeded!  Continue pulling the meat off (super easy) and cull through it with your fingers to find any other bone or marrow bits - finger licking is encouraged.

Place the meat in a shallow pan and toss with your favorite BBQ sauce.  Add a bit more salt and some pepper.  I also added a sliced fresh jalapeno and some jalapeno dusting salt.  Put the pan in a 350 oven for about 15 minutes until everything is hot and sizzling.

Put on hamburger buns for sandwiches or just eat in a big pile.  YUM!

Bayou Risotto

This is a recipe that I cut out of the Dallas Morning News on Thursday, August 14, 1986...no eidetic memory, here...the date's on the corner of the clipping.  The recipe is really pretty simple and totally delicious.  It's great for a dinner party or just for two - with plenty of leftovers the next day.

What you'll need:

6 slices of bacon, diced (I usually use big thick-slice smoked bacon)

1 cup of uncooked rice

3/4 cup chopped yellow onion

2 medium garlic cloves, crushed and minced

1 14 oz can chicken broth (you might need a second can - just in case)

1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper

1/2 tsp coarse black pepper

Hot pepper sauce, to taste (Texas Pete's or Louisiana Sunshine)

1 cup frozen whole okra, thawed, drained and cut into inch-long bits (discard stems and tips)

2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced

1 lb of cooked, cleaned shrimp (tails removed)

Here's what you do:

Cook bacon in large saucepan or stew pot (something with a lid) until crisp and golden.  Add rice, onion and garlic.  Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, 3-4 minutes or until rice is translucent and onion is tender.

Add enough water to broth to make 2 1/2 cups; add to saucepan with green pepper, black pepper and hot pepper sauce.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and cover tightly, simmering for about 20 minutes.   Check on the rice at about the 15 minute mark.  If the mixture is getting sticky, just add more liquid - I usually have to pop open another can of chicken broth and add about half of it.

When the rice is just tender, stir in the okra, shrimp, and tomato.  Remove from heat and let stand, covered, until the rest of the liquid is absorbed...about 5-8 minutes.

Makes about 6 servings.

YUM!!!