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Tuscan Tortellini Salad

Summer Salad……… Tuscan Tortellini Salad.

Summer salads are the best……cool, fresh veggies, in yummy, light dressings….makes my mouth water at the thought.

Pasta salads are some of my favs. I really like tortellini for summer pasta salads. Filled with cheese, or meats they are little packets bursting with flavor.

I like to use Barilla’s Cheese & Spinach tortellini, egg pasta folded around creamy Ricotta cheese and tender spinach, and pinched into a distinctive ring shape. And they are cute!!!

Tortellini……Italian………Tuscan……..I feel a flavor profile coming together.

Sun-dried tomatoes, spinach, cherry tomatoes, bocconcini, and sopressata.
Sopressata is similar to hard salami, and it can also be spicy!
Tim and I had sopressata on a pizza in Las Vegas at Wolf Gang Pucks restaurant. It was spicy and delicious.

I think the bocconcini mozzarella balls are the cutest little things. Bocconcini means little bites in Italian…….too cute!

A simple vinaigrette of olive oil, white balsamic vinegar…….I have been using this lately as it doesn’t discolor dishes like regular balsamic does…….a pinch of sugar, salt, and pepper.

This salad is easy to make and can be kept for several days…….in my opinion, it was even better the next day. The flavors melded together soon nicely.

Pair the Tuscan Tortellini Salad with grilled meat, or add a nice loaf of your favorite Italian bread, and a glass of your favorite beverage and you have a summer salad thats sure to please……..

Tuscan Tortellini Salad

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 6

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Ingredients

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1- 13 ounce package Barilla cheese & spinach tortellini 1/4 cup Extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces sopressata or other Italian style meat, chopped
1 cup baby spinach, roughly chopped
1/4 cup sun-dried tomato, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 8 ounce package of fresh mozzarella balls (bocconcini)
1 tablespoon fresh basil, chopped
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped
1/4 c. Parmesan, shredded

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Instructions

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook tortellini according to package directions. Drain and transfer to large serving bowl.
For the dressing: Whisk together olive oil, balsamic vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper.
To the tortellini in the bowl, add sopressata, spinach, sun-dried tomatoes, cherry tomatoes, basil, parsley, and dressing tossing until well combined.
Garnish with Parmesan.

Minestrone Salad

Soup turned salad……..Minestrone Salad.

Thick Italian minestrone is a combination of vegetables, pasta, beans, and tomatoes. Perfect for a snowy winter warm up.

But, it’s summer….and, its hot. I really don’t want soup. But the flavors of Minestrone sound really good…..lets try a salad!!

Since there is no set recipe for minestrone…..according to Wikipedia. so add what you like. It’s usually made from in season vegetables. But, to be true minestrone according to cookbook author Angelo Pellegrini,minestrone must have beans.

Well far be it from me to make an untrue minestrone, so we have beans. Two kinds…..dark red kidney, and white kidney or cannellini, as they are commonly referred too.

Fingerling potatoes, green beans, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and carrot, celery, and onions, are added to al dente gemelli pasta and the beans. Any small pasta will do, I just like the twisted look of the gemelli.

Instead of a “salad dressing” I used sundries tomato pesto. It has the right flavor for minestrone and it gives the Minestrone Salad the tomatoey look of the soup.

Top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley. Cool minestrone……

Minestrone Salad can be a main dish salad, served with a crusty loaf of bread, or as a side dish for your favorite meat.

Minestrone Salad

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Author: Marty Boyd
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 20 minutes
Yield: 8
Category: Salad
Method: Cook
Cuisine: American

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Ingredients

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6 fingerling or baby red potatoes
2 cups green beans, cut in half
1 cup carrots, diced
1 cup celery, sliced
1 small onion, diced
1 small zucchini, cut into chunks
1 can 15 1/2-ounce kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 can 15 1/2-ounce cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 pound gemelli, cooked al dente and cooled
1small jar sun dried tomato pesto
Parmesan cheese for serving
Chopped Parsley for garnish

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Instructions

Slice fingerling potatoes in a medium saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil and cook until the potatoes are just tender, about 8-10 minutes. Rinse under cold water to cool. Set aside.
Bring a pot of water to a boil and add 1 teaspoon salt. add green beans and blanch the vegetables just until they’re bright green, 1 to 2 minutes. Drain and rinse them with cold water, and set aside.
Toss all ingredients until the pesto coats the veggies, pasta, and beans. Top with parmesan cheese and garnish with parsley if desired.

Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce

In the realm of summer grilling, nothing beats a bratwurst. Except maybe Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce.

Packed with flavor, hot and juicy off the grill with a twist of a topping and honey mustard sauce.

Last weekend was Memorial Day and a lot of grilling went on. I can’t leave well enough alone with traditional things, I have to mess with them……I know it’s a curse!

I have a minor obsession with brussels sprouts. Well, if they are cooked in bacon. Once again the praises of bacon are endless and they bring glory to the ho-hum brat.

Let’s have a brat lesson……According to Wikipedia…….Bratwurst, often shortened to “brat”, are a common type of sausage in the United States, especially in the state of Wisconsin. Germany ancestry. It is a common sight at summer cookouts, alongside the more famous hot dog.

Wisconsin is also the origin of the “beer brat”, a regional and my favorite, where the bratwurst are simmered in beer (generally a mixture of a pilsner style beer with butter and onions) prior to grilling over charcoal.
Bratwurst has also become popular as a mainstay of sports stadiums, especially baseball parks, after Bill Sperling introduced bratwurst to Major League Baseball in Milwaukee County Stadium in 1954. The brats, which sold for 35 cents then, were grilled and placed into a container of a special tomato sauce before being served. ( I may have to check out said tomato sauce)

Every year, during the Memorial Day weekend, the city of Madison, Wisconsin hosts the Brat Fest, which is billed as the “world’s largest bratwurst festival.”

I boil my brats in beer, onions, and throw in a few peppercorns. Boiling them first makes them much easier to grill……less chance of burning them. Plus, it add a little flavor and gets rid of a bit of the fat. Let’s be clear….. brats are not a healthy fat free food, but they taste damn good!

Ketchup, mustard, onions, sauerkraut and relish = traditional. Brussels Sprouts, bacon, pecans, and cranberries = untraditionally super yummy!!!

Brussels Sprouts, sliced thin, I like my mandolin for this……watch your fingers…..and sautéed in bacon fat. Add pecans and cranberries for a few seconds and you have yourself a delicious topping for a brat.

Top that topping with honey mustard sauce, and crispy bacon…….Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce.

When I made these the first time, I had two fails. First go-round I tried it with a hamburger….not so much in the taste department. Plus the pictures……..definitely not!!

Second go-round….swap beef for a brat and the pictures are…..well I don’t want to brag, but they are pretty awesome.

The brussels sprouts remind me of sauerkraut, in a far fetched way, but they are both cabbage, and I have a vivid imagination.

I wasn’t too sure about the whole idea of pickles with the topping for the brat, but they are the perfect side piece. Bite of brat, a bite of pickle. Make sure it’s a dill pickle……

Mustard is a must with a brat, but with the brussels sprouts, and bacon, honey mustard sauce…..oh yeah!!

Shake up your next cookout with Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce and you will own the cookout!!!

Brussels Brats with Honey Mustard Sauce

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Author: Marty Boyd
Yield: 4

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Ingredients

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1/2 lb. bacon
1/3 lb. Brussels sprouts, thinly sliced
1/4 c. pecans, roughly chopped
1/4 cup dried cranberries
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
4 brats
4 hot dog or hoagie buns
Honey Mustard Sauce (see recipe below)

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Instructions

Cook the bacon until it’s crispy. Set aside.
Sauté Brussels sprouts about 1 tablespoon bacon fat until they are just wilted.
Add the pecans and cranberries. Stir for about a minute, then remove from heat and set aside.
Boil brats in beer and grill or sauté in skillet until well browned.
Place the brat in a hot dog or hoagie bun, top with brussels sprout mixture, honey mustard sauce and bacon. Serve with dill pickles.

Honey Mustard Sauce

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Author: Marty Boyd

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Ingredients

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1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup honey
2 tablespoons mustard
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard

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Instructions

Mix all ingredient until well blended. Refrigerate.