I decided to get in touch with my Italian side for this week’s recipe. Inspiration, no doubt, from the best mafia movie of all time, ?“Goodfellas.”
In the film, Henry Hill, an Irish-Italian mobster, is having a rough day. He has a shipment of cocaine coming in that he needs to get out on a flight, a brother in a wheelchair he is ?picking up from the airport and sauce on the stove that must be continuously stirred and watched.
The recipe I’m about to share has nothing to do with “Goodfellas,” but I’m going to pretend it does because, aside from my journalistic aspirations, I have always dreamed of being in a mob movie. I’m Irish-Italian and could easily be an extra in one of these films.
This concoction was created from classic Pinterest exploration.
The original recipe was posted on the blog “Ice Cream with a Fork.” I altered the recipe to make a cheesier, richer tomato sauce. Basically, what is being created is a cheese tortellini stew.
Start by cooking 1 lb. of ground Italian sausage. The package is going to look much like ground beef. Take a large frying pan and coat with about 1 tbsp. of oil. Brown the sausage until there is not red left. Use a spatula to break apart the sausage. I used mild Italian sausage but any degree of spice will work.
Next, take a large pot. Combine 9 oz. of three cheese tortellini and the sausage in the pot. I used Buitoni brand, which sells fantastic fresh pastas. I encourage anyone to use any of them.
Add in two cans of Hunt’s basil, garlic, and oregano, diced tomatoes. Add 6 oz. of cream cheese. Make sure to chunk the cream cheese, adding it in portions to the mixture. Finally, add 16 oz. of chicken broth and stir to evenly distribute the ingredients.
The seasoning comes next. Mix in one tbsp. each of garlic salt, oregano, and Italian seasoning.
The cooking times will vary for every stove. I am cooking with electric heat, a very different nature than gas heat. I simmered the mixture on low for about 1 hour and increased the heat during the last half hour of cooking.
To know when to increase the heat, make sure the tortellini are plump and tender. Once they are, increase the heat to medium and add the rest of the ingredients. Increasing the heat will cause the sauce to begin to thicken.
Finally, add one cup of mozzarella cheese and one-half cup of powdered parmesan cheese. This will create the stew like mixture. You should see the sauce cling to the tortellini and sausage. Stir continuously for about 5 minutes. Here is where I
channeled my inner Henry Hill, forcing his brother to continuously stir the sauce while he ran his illegal errands.
If the sauce does not thicken, slowy add more mozzarella and parmesan until the sauce thickens.
Let the stew simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn the heat off and let the stew sit for a few minutes. Serve with fresh parmesan cheese topping.
Pair the richness of the recipe with bread served with olive oil. Season the olive oil with oregano to complement all the tastes reaching your palate.
