Hoag's Land: Tortellini with smoked beef and mushrooms

I know, I know, this all sounds very weird but I broke down and let Hoag get a smoker and well.. there are only so many times this girl will eat Brisket sandwiches.... So, much to my mother's disapproval I tried this recipe and it turned out pretty ding dong darn good!

Now I know that not everyone has half a smoked brisket laying around their house so just any roast cut up and browned with a little seasoning will probably be ok with this too although dont take my word on it. I'm winging this people!

I bought these cheese tortellini on a pre lunch grocery store run, ( never a good idea) and so they'll be the base for our meal tonight. Cook as directed. No tricks there. Well, ok one trick. Put a wooden spoon on top of your pots of boiling pasta to keep it from boiling over.

For the sauce. Start with a base of EVOO, a little chopped garlic and a 1/4 chopped onion. You're also going to need some red wine for this so do us all a favor and open it now, you know you want a glass :)

Sautee those for a minute or so and then add your mushrooms. I am using baby bellas that I chopped up. A mix of mushrooms would probably be pretty amazing but this is what I have. Cook the mushrooms until they're nice and soft then add a big ol glug of wine. Dont be stingey like me, at least a cup.

Let this cook out a little, add a can of crushed tomatoes and your shredded or cubed meat here. You could totally go all vegetarian with this meal if you'd like and it would still be great but that's not what I do. My meat just needs to be warmed through so it wont need too long. A little S&P, a little oregano, a little red pepper flake and you're good. Let this cook for a while longer, add a dash of cream. ( Why?? Why not?!?!)