Ribollita Soup with Sausage

I've made this recipe a couple of times now, and it's quickly become a household favorite. It comes from The Original Dish blog, a fantastic resource for delicious and approachable recipes. What immediately drew me in, and what keeps me coming back, is a specific ingredient: Parmesan Rinds. Seriously, any recipe that calls for those savory, umami-packed little gems is a recipe for me! And each time I whip this up, Chris gives it his seal of approval, which is always a good sign.

Ingredients-

olive oil, as needed

1 lb bulk mild Italian pork sausage

1 medium onion, diced

4 medium carrots, peeled and diced

4 celery stalks, diced

kosher salt

freshly cracked black pepper

2 tbsp tomato paste

¼ tsp red pepper flakes

1 cup red wine

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes

1 qt chicken stock

1 Parmesan rind

1 large bunch green chard, stemmed, roughly chopped

1 (15 oz) can cannellini beans, rinsed, drained

Method-

Heat a large, heavy-bottom pot (or Dutch oven) over medium-high heat. 

Add enough olive oil to coat the bottom. 

When the oil is hot, add the sausage. Use a wooden spoon to break it apart into smaller pieces. 

Season with a pinch of salt. 

Cook the sausage until browned, about 5 minutes. 

Use a slotted spoon to transfer the sausage to a plate and set aside.

Add the onions, carrots, and celery. 

Sauté for 8-10 minutes until tender and slightly browned. 

Season with salt and black pepper. 

Stir in the tomato paste and red pepper flakes. 

Cook for a minute, stirring well. 

Pour in the red wine. 

Simmer for 2 minutes. 

Add the crushed tomatoes, chicken stock, parmesan rind, and browned sausage.

Bring the soup to a simmer, and then reduce the heat to medium-low. 

Simmer the soup for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Stir the green chard and cannellini beans into the soup.

 Simmer for another 10 minutes or so. 

Taste the soup and season with salt as needed.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Pepperoni and Bacon

Sometimes, the best meals come from the most unexpected places—or in my case, the odds and ends lurking in the back of the fridge and freezer! 

I had a small bag of pepperoni in the freezer that didn't quite make it into the Easter meat pies. And then there was the leftover crispy bacon from the weekend. My usual plan was to whip up our classic Fettuccini Alfredo, but as I started boiling the pasta, a thought sparked: Why not add a little extra something-something?

So, into a sauté pan went the pepperoni and bacon with a drizzle of olive oil. I let them sizzle and crisp up. Once they were perfectly golden and irresistible, I set them aside in a small bowl.

The result? A familiar comfort food transformed into something even more exciting. The salty, savory bits of pepperoni and bacon added a fantastic depth of flavor and a delightful textural contrast to the rich Alfredo sauce. It was a twist that both of us loved

And I made Parmesan toast.

Fettuccini Alfredo with Pepperoni and Bacon

Ingredients-

1/4# Diced Pepperoni
2 slices of cooked bacon
1 tsp olive oil
5 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces
Dried egg fettuccine
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste
Grated Parmigiano-Reggiano (1 cup)

Method-

Heat olive oil in a sauté pan. Add Pepperoni and bacon. Cook until crisp.

Put the Pepperoni and bacon in a bowl and set aside.

Wipe the oil out of the sauté pan.

Melt butter in a large sauté pan.

Cook fettuccine in a 6- to 8-quart pot of boiling salted water until al dente.

Reserve 1/2 cup pasta cooking water, then drain fettuccine in a colander.

Immediately toss the fettuccine with butter and salt in the sauté pan, then slowly add 3/4 cup cheese, tossing constantly and adding enough cooking water to keep pasta moist.

Add the Pepperoni and bacon to the pan.

Season with salt and pepper to taste, then sprinkle with remaining cheese.

The Case of the Vanishing Air Fryer Cheese

Okay, serious question: Is it just me, or does anyone else struggle with cheese staying put on an air-fried burger? Every time I'd put cheese on a burger, I'd open the basket to find the cheese… well, everywhere but on the burger. It was a cheesy mystery I was determined to solve!

The solution is surprisingly simple: toothpicks.

Here's the trick: when your burgers are almost done in the air fryer, open the basket, place your slice of cheese squarely on top of each patty, and then secure it with three toothpicks. 

The toothpicks act like tiny anchors, holding that cheese in place against the air fryer's powerful circulation. This gives the cheese just enough time to melt beautifully onto the burger without flying off into the abyss.

Pop them back in for another minute or two, and voila! You'll pull out perfectly cooked, deliciously cheesy burgers.

Just one crucial reminder: please, please remember to remove all the toothpicks before serving! You don't want any surprises there.