Tortellini, Sausage & Escarole Soup

Directions

1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 lb. sweet Italian sausage, casings removed

1/2 c. dry white wine

1 onion, chopped

2 celery ribs, sliced

3 garlic cloves, chopped

1 carrot, sliced thin

6 c. chicken stock

2 tsp. oregano

2 tsp. parsley

1 tsp. red chili flakes

1 bay leaf

1 15-oz. can cannellini beans

1 piece of rind from hard cheese such as parmesan or romano (optional)

Freshly ground black pepper

1 head of escarole

1 9-oz. package refrigerated three-cheese tortellini or mini ravioli

For the Pesto Croutons

3 tbsp. pesto

1 tbsp. olive oil

3 c. ciabatta bread, cubed

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add sausage and cook, breaking it up into large chunks with a spoon, until browned, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon to a 6-quart slow cooker; reserve skillet. Add wine to reserved skillet and cook, scraping up brown bits, add to slow cooker.

Add onion, celery, garlic, oregano, parsley, chili flakes, bay leaf, beans, cheese rind, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to slow cooker and stir to combine. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, on low for 5 to 6 hours or high for 3 to 4 hours.

Stir in escarole and tortellini; cover and cook until escarole is wilted and tortellini is tender, 14 to 16 minutes on low or 4 to 6 minutes on high. Season with salt and pepper. Serve topped with Pesto 

Croutons.

Make the Pesto Croutons: Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Stir together pesto and olive oil in a bowl. Add ciabatta bread and toss to coat. Bake until toasted, 10 to 12 minutes.

Recipe adapted from CountryLiving.com

Fried Wontons Filled with Cannoli Cream (Sweet Raviolis)

If you love cannolis and fried dough, you will love these little pockets of deliciousness.  I married the two (2) together and what I got was a sugary, crunchy shell with a sweet, chocolate center, as well as a hint of cinnamon and citrus.  I normally give my desserts away, but my husband begged me to keep this one.

Here's the recipe:

Wonton wrappers
Large heavy pot or deep fryer
Canola oil, enough for 2" in the pot you choose
Instant read thermometer if not using a deep fryer
1 8 oz. container of whole milk ricotta cheese, strained overnight in the refrigerator
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 egg yolk, reserve the white
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Zest of 1/2 orange
1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (or 1 1/2 tsp extract)
1/2 c mini chocolate chips
Confectioners' sugar

Pour the oil into the pot but do not heat until you have prepared the wontons, as this process take a bit of time and you do not want your oil to be too hot.
Mix together all cannoli cream ingredients (not the egg white).  Using a mini scoop or a teaspoon, add filling to the center of each wonton wrapper.  With a fork beat the egg white until foamy.  With your finger, dip it into the egg white and run it around the edges of each wonton.  Fold a corner over to meet the opposite corner and press all the edges together to seal the filling inside.
Heat oil to 350*F.  Drop no more than 4 filled wontons into the oil in order to maintain the temprature.  Fry until golden brown on both sides.  Note: This goes very quickly!  The wontons are done in less than a minute.  I removed mine after only about 40 seconds; 20 second each side.
Remove from the oil and drain on parchment paper or paper towels.  After you have fried 2-3 batches, sprinkle with confectioners' sugar while still warm.  Continue frying the remainder of the wontons in small batches, and dusting with sugar until you have used all the filling.

These are best served warm, but still wonderfully entertaining in your mouth after they are cooled.

It's my party and I'll fry if I want to!