Roasted Tomato and Beef Tortellini Soup

Wow, just awesome. I think Karen and I had about 3 bowls each of this.

1 lb. ripe plum tomatoes, halved*
1 red pepper, quartered and seeded
1 large red onion, quartered
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 F and spread out the above ingredients on a roasting tin and drizzle with olive oil. Roast for 30-40 minutes (toss them around 20 minutes in) until soft and charred.

Tip the vegetables into a food processor, add 1 cup of beef stock, and process until smooth. Strain through a sieve over a large saucepan.

Add four more cups of beef stock, add 1 tbsp of sugar, and 1 tsp of salt. Toss in some fresh prepared beef tortellini (I used the Ziggy's brand from Loblaw's). Use less then you expect you will need...they swell up to about x3 the original size.

Simmer until the pasta is al dente (try one), and adjust seasoning with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Serve hot in warmed bowls, add a small pinch of cheese, and garnish with fresh basil leaves. I, alas, did not have any so I chopped up some chives.

* two cans of tomatoes if you can't get nice ripe fresh ones...unripe nasty grocery store tomatoes are much worse then canned ones. You would have to skip the roasting of the tomatoes and just do everything else, still.

Salmon with Potato & Leek Hash

I took a break from computer games and the Raptors' games and make a nice dinner for myself while Karen was out. I tend to make things she's not into while she's away and have the chance, and salmon isn't her favorite thing.

The potato leek hash recipe (I made 1/2 of the indicated amount) is here. The salmon is basically rubbed with a little butter, seasoned, and pan-fried in a cast iron skillet.

Ryan's pizza

Understandably frustrated with my recent slowdown in cooking new things (basketball season, playing Neverwinter Nights 2 until my eyes bleed) Ryan took it upon himself to feed the family and made a pizza (under mommy's supervision).

Pork Roast with Jus Lie'

I made this a week ago...been too busy playing so much Warhammer I can't post about cooking. :)

4.5 lb pork roast
minced garlic, or garlic-infused olive oil
rosemary, minced
salt & pepper

Allow the pork roast to rise to room temperature, then rub all over with the garlic, then the spices. You may dust it with flour also (I did). Roast for 1 hour at 375 F / 190 C

3 diced onions
3 diced carrots
2 ribs of diced celery
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 cup white wine
2 cups water
2 thyme sprigs
10 peppercorns, whole
2 bay leaves

After the pork has cooked for it's 1 hour, scatter onto the roasting pan the onions, carrots, and celery. Roast for another 30 to 45 minutes until internal temp of the roast reaches 160 F / 70 C

Remove the roasting pan from the oven, remove pork and set aside for 20 minutes, tented with foil. Place the roasting pan on the stove-top and cook until the mirepoix is browned and the fat is clear. Pour off as much of the fat as possible. Deglaze pan with the wine, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom. Add the tomato paste and cook until it's turned brick red and smells sweet. Add the water, bay leaves, peppercorns, and thyme, and simmer for the remainder of the 20 minutes the pork is resting. Strain the juice into a smaller saucepan, heat to simmering again and thicken with cornstarch slurry to make a nice gravy.