Tortellini in Mushroom Sauce

Using frozen tortellini makes this a quick meal option!

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups (1/3 of a 16-ounce bag) frozen cheese tortellini
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 8 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps halved and thinly sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, sliced
• 1 cup water
• Coarse salt and ground pepper
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon cold butter
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook tortellini according to package instructions; drain.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium-low heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until mushrooms are tender, about 7 minutes.
3. Add 1 cup water; season with salt and pepper. Cook until liquid is reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat; add tortellini, Parmesan, butter, and parsley. Toss to coat; serve.

Note:

If you find fresh tortellini, you can use that instead of frozen; cook in a pot of boiling salted water until the pasta floats to the top, about 3 minutes. The mushroom sauce can also be tossed with plain pasta, such as fettuccine, linguine, or spaghetti. Cook 2 ounces of pasta, and add 2 more tablespoons of Parmesan.

Sausage, Red Onion, and Wild Mushroom Pizza

Ingredients:

1 16-ounce ball purchased fresh pizza dough

2/3 cup finely grated Piave or Parmesan cheese

2 1/4 teaspoons finely chopped fresh rosemary, divided

1/2 teaspoon dried crushed red pepper

Coarse kosher salt

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

2 1/2 hot Italian sausages, casings removed

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

7 ounces fresh wild mushrooms (such as stemmed shiitake, oyster, and chanterelle), thickly sliced

1 3/4 cups coarsely grated whole-milk mozzarella cheese (about 7 ounces), divided

Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Directions:

Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 450°F. Lightly flour 2 baking sheets. Place dough on work surface; let stand until room temperature, about 20 minutes. Divide dough in half. Press and stretch each piece out on lightly floured surface to 5-inch round. Sprinkle each with 1/3 cup Piave cheese, 3/4 teaspoon rosemary, and 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper; sprinkle with coarse salt. Roll each piece of dough out to 10-inch round, pressing in seasonings. Transfer dough rounds to prepared baking sheets.

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage. Sauté until brown, breaking into 1/2-inch pieces with back of spoon, about 5 minutes. Using slotted spoon, transfer sausage to bowl. Add onion to skillet. Sauté until crisp-tender, about 2 minutes; transfer to plate. Add remaining 1/2 tablespoon oil to skillet. Add mushrooms and remaining 3/4 teaspoon rosemary; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté until brown, about 5 minutes. Leaving 1/2-inch plain border, top each dough round with 3/4 cup mozzarella, then onion, sausage, and mushrooms.

Bake until crust bottoms are crisp and brown, reversing sheets after 10 minutes, about 20 minutes total. Using large spatula, transfer pizzas to work surface. Sprinkle each with 2 tablespoons mozzarella, then parsley, if desired.

Test-kitchen tip:

Pizza-wheel cutters can drag toppings, so use a large chef's knife to cut pizzas into wedges.

Bison Burgers with Cabernet Onions and Wisconsin Cheddar

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

3 cups sliced onions (about 2)

3/4 cup Cabernet Sauvignon or other dry red wine

1 pound ground bison (buffalo)

2 tablespoons chopped shallots

1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

4 organic hamburger buns

6 ounces sliced Wisconsin white cheddar cheese

Dijon mustard

1 small head of escarole leaves separated

Directions:

Heat 1 tablespoon oil in heavy medium skillet over medium- high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with salt, and sauté until tender and golden brown, stirring often, about 10 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and continue to sauté until very tender and well browned, about 15 minutes longer. Add wine and cook, stirring occasionally, until liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. DO AHEAD: Can be made 3 days ahead. Cool, cover, and chill.

Preheat broiler. Gently mix meat and next 3 ingredients in large bowl. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties. Heat remaining 1 tablespoon oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Sprinkle burgers with salt and pepper; add to skillet. Cook until well browned, about 2 minutes per side for medium-rare.

Open buns and arrange, cut side up, on rimmed baking sheet. Place cheese slices on bun tops. Broil until cheese melts and bottom halves are lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Spread bottom halves with mustard. Top each with a few escarole leaves, then burger. Spoon onions atop burgers, dividing equally. Cover with bun tops; press lightly.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Have you ever veered off the traditional grilled cheese route? Maybe it's time.

Let's start with the primary "rules" on what makes a grilled cheese a grilled cheese.  

A Grilled Cheese Must...

• be a closed sandwich, griddled on both sides.
• have cheese as the primary ingredient. Other ingredients can complement, but not overwhelm the cheese.
• be made with sliced bread. Thus a sandwich made with whole, crust-on loaves like an Italian panini or a Cubano do not qualify.
• be served hot all the way through, with the cheese melted.
• be cooked on a flat, greased surface until golden brown. In extreme circumstances it may be cooked on an outdoor grill over an open fire. A grilled cheese may never be baked.

Now that that's out of the way. How about this French Onion Grilled Cheese which captivates the flavors of French onion soup in a simple, handheld grilled cheese.

French Onion Grilled Cheese

Ingredients:

2 onions, sliced

2 tablespoons butter

1/4 cup beef broth

2 sprigs thyme

1 clove garlic, minced

4 slices bread

6 ounces gruyere cheese, shredded

softened butter as needed

Instructions:

To make the caramelized onions, heat the sliced onions with the butter over very low heat. Stir occasionally, cooking slowly for about one hour, or until the onions are sweet and brown. More butter may be needed as the onions cook.

Add the beef broth, thyme, and garlic to the onions, scraping the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon as the liquid sizzles. Cook until all the liquid in the pan has evaporated. Remove from heat and set aside.

Build the sandwiches by dividing the cheese and onions between two slices of bread. Top with the remaining slices of bread.

Butter the tops and bottoms of the sandwiches and heat in a pan over medium heat until crispy.

The Eggs Benedict Burger

It’s part breakfast, part dinner, and part 75% arterial blockage. Okay maybe it isn’t that terrible for you…

Crispy bacon, a poached egg, and a spoonful of dreamy hollandaise sauce top a plain burger. Okay, it’s definitely that terrible for you.

Ingredients

For the hollandaise sauce:

3 large egg yolks

1 Tbsp water

1 stick unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces

Juice from 1/2 a lemon

Salt

Pepper

For the burgers:

1 lb lean ground beef

Salt

Pepper

Worcestershire

3 eggs, fried or poached

3 slices of bacon, cooked to a crisp

Burger buns

Instructions

Heat grill to medium-high heat.

In a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, whisk egg yolks with water, whisking vigorously, until mixture thickens, about 5 minutes.

Remove from heat, and stir in lemon juice.

Whisk in 1-2 pieces of butter at a time until melted.

Season with salt and pepper. Keep warm over the doubler boiler, whisking occasionally and adding 1-2 tsp hot water if the sauce thickens too much.

Season ground beef with a pinch of salt, black pepper, and a few dashes of Worcestershire.

Divide ground beef into 3 equal portions and form into a patty.

Cook on the grill 4-5 minutes each side, until cooked to desired doneness.

Assemble on buns and top with crispy bacon, an egg, and a spoonful of hollandaise sauce.

Cheesy Ham & Pepperoni Stromboli

Ingredients

Yields 2 loaves

1 (.25 oz) package active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water (110° to 115°) 

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp salt 

4 to 5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

The quantities below are for 1 Stromboli. Double the amount if you want to make both loaves. 

1/4 lb thinly sliced ham

1/4 lb reduced fat pepperoni

Dried basil

Dried oregano

4 slices provolone cheese

1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add oil, salt and 2 cups flour; fitted with the paddle attachment, beat until smooth. Stir in enough flour to form a soft dough. Switching to the dough hook attachment, knead dough on low speed until smooth and elastic, about 10 minutes. Place in a greased bowl, turning once to grease top. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Punch dough down. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; divide in half. Roll one portion into a 15 x 12-inch rectangle. (I froze the second portion for a later date.) Arrange ham slices lengthwise down half of rectangle. Place pepperoni on top. Sprinkle with a little bit of basil and oregano. Arrange provolone slices over the top and then add the mozzarella cheese. Sprinkle with a little more basil and oregano. Fold plain half of dough over filling and seal ends well. Brush with oil; sprinkle with oregano.

Bake on a baking sheet at 400°F for 25-30 minutes or until lightly browned. Cool slightly; cut into 1-inch slices.