Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms

With homegrown fennel and Swiss chard on hand, I found out this recipe, switched the spring spinach for summer chard, and it was a delicious one-pot meal.

Tortellini with Italian Sausage, Fennel and Mushrooms
Adapted from Bon Appetit

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large fennel bulb, trimmed, halved through core, thinly sliced lengthwise (about 3 cups), fronds chopped
1 pound spicy Italian sausages, casings removed, sausage coarsely crumbled
1 8-ounce package sliced fresh crimini (baby bella) mushrooms
4 large garlic cloves, pressed
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
1 cup (or more) low-salt chicken broth
1 16-ounce package fresh tortellini with 3-cheese filling
1 c. Swiss chard, sliced into ribbons
1/2 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese plus additional (for serving)

Preparation

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add sliced fennel bulb, sausage, and mushrooms; sauté until sausage is brown and cooked through and fennel is almost tender, 12 to 15 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Stir in cream, then 1 cup broth; boil until liquid is reduced and very slightly thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook tortellini in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain tortellini; return to same pot.

Add sausage mixture to tortellini in pot. Toss over medium heat until blended. Add chard; toss gently until chard wilts. Stir in 1/2 cup cheese; add more broth by 1/4 cupfuls to moisten if dry. Season with salt and pepper, sprinkle with chopped fennel fronds, and serve, passing additional cheese.

Sausage and Barley Soup

I rarely expect both a view and good food when I dine. It's almost asking too much, isn't it? We found both at Altitudes restaurant on Grouse Mountain during our recent trip to Vancouver. It's perched at the top of the mountain with a view of the whole city below, plus the gondolas coming and going. Paul and I both ordered a certain soup on the menu, took a bite, looked at each other, and vowed to duplicate it at home.

This weekend we took our first stab at recreating it - and were even brave enough to serve it to company. It came out really well, and our guests even forgave us for serving them soup on a hot summer day.

We added our own twist with Andouille sausage for an extra kick and Swiss chard from our garden, which is doing awesome by the way. We harvested green beans, peas, chard, and 2 kinds of yellow squash this weekend. Woo hoo! Here's the soup recipe!

Sausage Barley Soup

4 cups homemade chicken broth
1 c. pearl barley
3 small links Cajun Andouille sausage, sliced into coins (we used Aidell's - highly recommended)
1 red bell pepper, diced
1 c. chiffonaded Swiss chard
1/2 c. diced onion
1/2 tsp. marjoram
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground pepper

Bring the broth to a boil and add barley. Simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Add in the rest of the ingredients and simmer an additional 10 minutes. Serve!

Two kinds of crookneck squash - smooth and lumpy

German Potato Salad

In my family, traditionally a BBQ means hot dogs and hamburgers. However, my co-workers last year introduced me to the beauty of a well-made sausage. This discovery prompted me to throw a German-themed grill party.

On the menu: smoked bratwursts from local authentic German deli Morant's; freshly baked rolls from the Grateful Bread bakery; mixed greens with lots of vegetables, including the first tomato from our patio garden (wonderfully sweet and delicious!!); fresh fruit platter by my friend Heidi; German potato salad; and for dessert, my friend Chelsea brought (what else?) German chocolate cake.

We had a wonderful time laughing with friends and devouring our German feast and sampling a variety of root beers... But I'll have to blog about our tasting conclusions next time! I will share the recipe for the German Potato Salad, which was given to me by a sweet little German lady who is a client of the law firm where I work. Her name was Ingeborg (you gotta love a lady with a name like that!) and she shared it with one of my associates who lived in Germany as a child, who then made copies for all of us. This salad is cool and refreshing and light, very good with sausages of course, and an excellent alternative to a mayo-based salad for those who are scared of food poisoning (or just don't like mayo)! It serves 8-10 people.

P.S. I threw some green onions in for added color, then garnished with chopped red bell pepper and flat-leaf parsley.

Bavarian-style German Potato Salad
Courtesy of Ingeborg Wright

5 large potatoes (I used red potatoes)
1 small red onion
1 1/2 c. water
1/2 T. salt
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 3/4 T. distilled white vinegar
1/4 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. dill weed

Wash and clean the potatoes (do not peel). Boil potatoes in large pot until done (when they feel soft when pierced with a fork). When done, remove potatoes and set aside until cooled to lukewarm. THEN remove the potato skins (I left some on for texture) and cut potatoes into small pieces.

Dice the onion into tiny pieces. Combine with ALL the other ingredients in a container and mix well. Pour about half of the mixture over the potatoes and let soak for 20 minutes - THEN stir. Add a little of the remaining mixture and let soak for about 10-15 minutes and stir again. Repeat this procedure until the mixture is all or almost all used up. (Sometimes you will not have to use all of the mixture - do not make the potato salad too thin.)

Cover and store in refrigerator. Tastes best when allowed to soak overnight before serving. It will keep for several days when refrigerated.