Lasagna Soup

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Ingredients:

2 teaspoons olive oil

1 1/2 lbs. Italian Sausage, skins removed

3 cups chopped onions

4 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1/2 teaspoons crushed red pepper flakes

 (eliminate pepper flakes if you use hot Italian Sausage)

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1 (28 oz.) can fire roasted diced tomatoes

2 bay leaves

6 cups chicken stock

8 ounces malfada, fusilli or similar pasta

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh basil leaves

Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Cheese Topping

8 ounces ricotta

1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese

1/4 teaspoon salt

Pinch of freshly ground pepper

Preparation:

Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium heat.  Remove skins on sausage, break up into bite sized pieces placing in pot and brown for about 5 minutes.  Add onions and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.  Add garlic, oregano, and red pepper flakes.  Cook for 1 minute. 

Add tomato paste and stir well to incorporate.  Cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the tomato paste turns a rusty brown.  Add diced tomatoes, bay leaves, and chicken stock.  Stir to combine.  Bring to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add uncooked pasta and cook until al dente.

Do not over cook or let soup simmer for a long period of time at this point, as the pasta will get mushy and absorb all the soup broth.  You may even want to consider coking the noodles separately, and then adding some to individual bowls before ladling the soup over them.  This would be an especially smart move if you are anticipating any leftovers. Right before serving, stir in the basil and season to taste with salt and pepper.

While the pasta is cooking, prepare the cheese. In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, Parmesan, salt and pepper.  To serve, place a dollop of the cheese mixture in each soup bowl and sprinkle some of the mozzarella on top and ladle the hot soup over the cheese.

History:

Jason Fleck introduced me to this recipe that he found on the internet.

Short Ribs

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Ingredients:

Canola oil

8 beef short ribs

2 large onions, cut into large dice

Kosher salt

4 carrots, cut into bite-size pieces

2 celery stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces

2 tablespoons tomato paste

3 cups Zinfandel or heavy fruity wine

1 garlic head, halved horizontally

1 inch piece of fresh ginger

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon peppercorns, cracked

1 tablespoon butter

1 pound mushrooms, sliced or diced and seared

Preparation:

In a Dutch oven or other heavy ovenproof pot, add enough oil to reach 1/4 inch up the sides and heat over high heat.  Dredge the dry short ribs in the flour, shaking off excess.  When the oil is hot, add the ribs and brown on all sides.  Remove the ribs to a plate lined with paper towels.  (This can be done a day ahead and refrigerated.)

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Wipe the pot clean then sauté half of the onions in a film of oil over medium heat until softened.  (Refrigerate remaining onions.)  Add a four-finger pinch of salt and stir.  Add the celery, half of the carrots (refrigerate the remaining carrots until needed) and cook for about 4 minutes longer.  The longer you cook the vegetables, the deeper the flavor of the sauce will be.  For intensely deep flavor, cook until the carrots and onions are browned.  Add the tomato paste and cook to heat it.

Nestle the ribs in the pot.  Add the wine (it should come three-fourths of the way up the ribs), garlic, ginger, and bay leaves.  Season with a three finger pinch of salt and add peppercorns.  Bring to a simmer, cover the pot with a lid set ajar, and slide into the oven.  Cook the ribs for 4 hours.

Remove the pot from the oven and allow the ribs to cool, covered.  When the ribs are cool enough to handle, put them on a plate, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate.  Strain the cooking liquid into a glass measuring cup, cover and refrigerate.  When the liquid has chilled, remove the congealed fat and discard.

Melt butter in the pot. Add the reserved onions and carrots and sauté until softened.  Return the ribs to the pot.  Add mushrooms and reserved cooking liquid.  Bring to a simmer, cover, and cook over medium-low heat until the carrots are tender and the ribs are heated through about 15 minutes.

Serve with buttered noodles or mashed potatoes.

History:

Recipe comes from Michael Ruelman's cookbook "Twenty."

Smoked Salmon

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Ingredients:

Fresh Salmon, scaled, skin on (whole side or 1/2 lb. pieces)

     Marinade

3 cups rock salt

4 cups dark brown sugar

1 Tbs. ground white pepper

2 tsp. grated fresh ginger

2 tsp. ground allspice

2 tsp. crumbled bay leaves

1 tsp. garlic powder

Preparation:

Score salmon skin.  Combine marinade ingredients and place a layer of marinade in a pyrex dish.  Place salmon skin side down.  Completely cover salmon with marinade and pat down.  Cure overnight in refrigerator.

Rinse well and pat dry with paper towels.  Let dry on rack for 2 hours (until surface is tacky).

Place a combination of Luhr Jensen Alder and Apple wood chips in bottom of smoker.  Put salmon on rack in smoker and slowly bring temperature up to 180º and smoke for 8 to 10 hours.  If using a water smoker, smoke approximately 1 to 2 hours.

History:

Gus brings his famous smoked salmon to Pete Gray, Rick Maxa and their guests during their radio show, Let's Talk Hook-Up broadcast yearly from the Long Beach Fred Hall Tackle Show.  During the 2010 show, Gus shared his recipe.

Variation:

Keep the collars and bellies from the salmon and smoke them as well.  The bellies will produce lots of fat so be sure to have a tray under them to catch the drippings.