Heat olive oil in a large soup pot or dutch oven over medium heat. Add sausages and cook until brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Remove sausages from the pot and set aside. Add ribs to the pot and cook until brown on both sides, about 4-5 minutes per side. Remove ribs and set aside with the sausages.

Deglaze the pot by adding the Pinot Noir and then stir with a wooden spoon, scraping up any browned bits in the bottom of the pot. Add the onion, carrot, and sage to the pot and continue to cook over medium heat until the onions begin to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and continue cooking until the garlic is fragrant but not brown, about 1-2 minutes more.

Add the chopped tomatoes and the juices from the can to the pot.  Add 1 tbs tomato paste and stir to combine.

Add the water, salt and pepper. Add the ribs, sausage, and any juices that have collected from the meat back to the pot. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to low and simmer covered for 1 hour.

After 1 hour of cooking, add the drained and rinsed beans to the pot, stir and bring the pot back to a simmer. Continue to simmer partially covered for another hour until the ribs are fork tender and the meat is nearly falling off the bone.  The longer you cook this the more tender the ribs will get.  After 2 hours total cooking time, cover the pot and keep at a low simmer until ready to serve.

While the ribs, sausage and beans are simmering away prepare the polenta (see recipe below.)

To serve, put the polenta in the bottom of a large bowl, top with the ribs and sausage, then top generously with the beans and sauce.

Parmesan Polenta

– 4 cups water
– 1 cup yellow cornmeal
– 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
– 4 tbs salted butter
– 1 1/2 tsp salt

In a medium sized pot bring the water and salt to a boil. Reduce heat to low and slowly whisk in the corn meal. Stir frequently until the polenta begins to thicken. Cover and continue cooking over low heat, stirring every 5 minutes or so, until the polenta is soft and smooth – about 20 – 30 minutes.  If the polenta becomes too thick, you can add more water to reach your desired consistency.  Finish by stirring in the cheese and butter until melted.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

In a medium sauté pan over medium-high heat, add 2 tbs olive oil.  Add diced onion, carrot and celery and sauté till vegetables have softened – about 5 minutes.  Set sautéed vegetables aside.

In a small bowl, add tomato paste, apple cider vinegar, water, garlic powder, onion powder, Dijon mustard, 1 tsp of kosher salt, and 1/2 tsp of fresh ground pepper.  Mix well using a small whisk or fork.  Set tomato topping aside.

In a large mixing bowl, add ground beef, pork, sautéed vegetables, eggs, thyme, 2 tbs of the tomato topping, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper.  Mix well with your hands then form into a meatloaf in a large baking dish.  Spread remaining tomato topping over the top of the meatloaf.

Bake meatloaf at 325 degrees for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes till the internal temperature reaches 160 degrees.  Remove from oven, cover with foil and let rest for 5 minutes before slicing.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Place 2 burrito sized tortillas on a cookie sheet.

Choose a base sauce to work with (pizza sauce, alfredo, olive oil, truffle oil, pesto, barbeque sauce, etc.) and lightly spread the sauce over each tortilla, leaving a half inch border around the edges. The secret here is to use a small amount of sauce so that the pizza is as crispy as possible.

Layer on your favorite toppings and cheese. See examples below.

Place the cookie sheet in the oven and bake for about 15 minutes until the cheese is browning and the edges of the pizza are brown and crisp but not burnt. If you are cooking more than one cookie sheet, note that the pizzas on the top rack will cook faster than those on the bottom rack.

Slice the pizza in 4 slices and top with arugula, basil, fennel or your favorite topping. Enjoy!

The Works
– Base Sauce: Pizza Sauce
– Hand Sliced Pepperoni
– Green Peppers
– Sliced Shiitake Mushrooms
– Red Onion
– Goat Cheese
– Shredded Mozzarella Cheese
– After cooking top with Arugula

Asparagus, Prosciutto & Goat Cheese
– Base Sauce: store bought Alfredo
– Prosciutto
– Asparagus (chopped and tossed with olive oil, salt and pepper)
– Fresh Mozzarella
– Goat Cheese
– After cooking top with fresh chopped Basil

Sausage, Fennel & Fontina
– Base Sauce: Olive Oil
– Sauteed Sweet Italian Sausage
– Sliced Fennel and Red Onion (sauteed with olive oil, salt & pepper)
– Fontina cheese
– After cooking top with fresh fennel fronds

Truffle Oil, Shiitake & Ricotta
– Base Sauce: Truffle Oil
– Sliced Shittake Mushrooms
– Fresh Mozzarella cheese
– Fresh Ricotta cheese
– Fresh Thyme leaves
– Roasted Garlic

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Add the butter and olive oil to a large soup pot and place over medium heat.  Add the sliced leeks and saute for a couple minutes until the leeks have softened, about 2-3 minutes.  Add the mushrooms and continue to cook for 5-6 minutes until the mushrooms have browned and softened.

Add 4 cups of the chicken stock, the chicken, cream, salt, pepper, mustard, and tarragon to the pot.  

In a small bowl, add the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock then whisk in the 1/2 cup of flour.  Mix well dissolving any lumps.  Stir the flour/stock mixture into the pot.  Stir well to combine.

Bring the mixture to a boil then reduce the heat to low and simmer uncovered for 15 minutes until slightly thickened.  Stir in the green beans.  Remove from heat and transfer chicken pot pie mix to a baking dish.

Cut puff pastry into 1 inch strips.   Weave a lattice pattern over the filling with the pastry strips.  Trim any excess pastry from the edge of the baking dish.  For a brown top, brush with an egg wash (1 egg whisked with 1 tbs. water) before baking.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the puff pastry is nicely browned.

Makes 6 – 1 1/2 cup servings.

ALTERNATE SERVING SUGGESTION: If you don’t want to fuss with creating the puff pastry topping, after adding the green beans, simmer 5 minutes, then ladle the filling into bowls and serve with your favorite crusty bread or store bought biscuits.