Ridiculousness here.

This is from Mr. Food and sounds horrible. Mr. Food says: "There sure is something special about eating food served on a skewer. It's the same food, but it just seems to taste better...and your company will think you hired a fancy caterer!"

I say: cheese tortellini just aren't that good without some other flavors to work with them. And how long are they going to stay hot spread out on those sticks, and then cold dip? If your company thinks a caterer did this, their next thought is that surely you're not going to pay the bill. I think whomever came up with this recipe made the dip first, and said 'now what to dip in it?' Then they got tired of thinking so had this idea and went home early.



Skewered Tortellini

Serves: 40
Cooking Time: 15 min
Ingredients
40 six-inch wooden or metal skewers
1 (16 ounce) bag frozen cheese tortellini
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons black pepper
2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
Cook tortellini according to package directions; drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again. Place 3 tortellini on end of each skewer.

In a medium-sized bowl, combine mayonnaise, sour cream, grated Parmesan cheese, pepper, and milk to make a Creamy Parmesan Dipping Sauce and mix well. Serve tortellini with dip.

Now, me, I put a few of those dried cheese tortellini in home-made bean soup. They get plenty of chance to cook soft, and it's fun to chase them around the bowl until you catch them. And they taste good with the tomato-herb flavor of the soup.

Tomato and Sausage Soup with Tortellini

1/2 cup smoked sausage, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup chopped sweet red pepper
1 1/2 cups diced potatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) chicken broth
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
1 can (15 oz) great northern beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups water
Ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/8 teaspoon thyme
1 cup fresh or frozen cheese tortellini

In a heavy 3 quart saucepan, sauté the sausage in olive oil. Add onion and sweet red pepper and sauté for 2 to 3 minutes or until onion is soft but not brown. Stir in the potatoes and lower the heat. Cover and cook 2 more minutes, stirring from time to time. Add broth and tomatoes, stirring well. Drain the beans and rinse well in cold running water to remove salt; add to pan. Stir in water, pepper, fennel, and thyme. Bring just to a boil. Stir in tortellini, return to a boil, reduce heat slightly and cook 3 to 5 minutes. Serve immediately.