Farfalle with Artichokes, Peppers, and Almonds

I found this recipe in Sunset Magazine. The magazine has some interesting recipes, but often need special ingredients that we don’t always have in the house. This one is an exception. I decided to try it because it’s easy to do, and doesn't have cheese (for my lactose-intolerant husband). I did change around a few things, like using a can of artichokes instead of fresh ones, and I using mini farfalle instead of the regular size. The recipe does not say whether to serve hot, cold, or at room temperature. I preferred eating it hot, so I’d just serve myself and then microwave it. My husband and I both ended up sprinkling some chili flakes over our pasta. The next time I make it I’m going to add some smoked paprika and make be a little chopped polish kielbasa.

 Farfalle with Artichokes, Peppers, and Almonds

Zest from 1/2 a small lemon
Juice from 1 small lemon
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp pepper
Salt to taste
1 jar roasted red bell peppers, drained and chopped or 3 red peppers roasted, skinned, and chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained and sliced thin
12 oz farfalle pasta
1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley, chopped
1 cup roasted almonds, coarsely ground
1/4 cup of olive oil
Chili flakes, to serve (optional)

Farfalle with Artichokes, Peppers, and Almonds

Combine the lemon zest, lemon juice, oil, garlic, pepper, salt, and roasted peppers, in a large bowl. Drain and slice the artichokes and then add to the bowl. Keep the almonds and the parsley separate. Cook the pasta till al dente, drain (saving 1 cup of water) and mix into the bowl. Then mix in the parsley and almonds. Stir in the pasta water slowly, to loosen up the pasta, then serve.

Notes:

*To roast the peppers yourself, you need a gas stove. Put on the burner and place peppers over it so that the flame is touching the peppers. Allow the skin to become completely burned, and then turn the pepper. Do this till the entire pepper looks charred from the outside. Finish the other two peppers in the same manner, and once it’s cooled enough to handle, peel off the charred skin and with a knife remove all the seeds from inside. Then chop it into small pieces.

*To roast almonds, place the desired quantity on a baking sheet. In a preheated oven of 350 degrees Fahrenheit, bake the almonds for 10-15 minutes. Remove and allow to cool completely, before grinding to the desired consistency. I like to use the almonds with the skin on, as it adds a nice brown color to the already white pasta and artichokes. 

3-layered Tuna and Vegetable Casserole

This is a great dish to make on a cold, winter day. It’s extremely easy to make and not very expensive if you need to take it for a crowd. The Tabasco or hot sauce really adds to the flavor, but if you don’t like spicy food it’s easily avoidable. The feta cheese gives it a strong flavor too, so if you are planning to substitute it, try to use a strong.  

3-layered Tuna and Vegetable Casserole

2 cans tuna, drained and flaked

2 cans cream of celery soup

2 small zucchini, cut into cubes

2 red peppers, cut into cubes

5-8 green onions or 1 bulb onion, cut into small pieces

About ½ cup feta cheese

2 eggs

2 cups milk

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

1 tbsp chili flakes

½ box whole wheat pasta, cooked al dente

Tabasco or hot sauce (optional)

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit. Chop all the vegetables and toss in salt and pepper. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soup, eggs, and milk. Then add the tuna and mix well before adding the cheese and the chili flakes.

In a baking dish, evenly spread out the pasta, then the vegetables. Give the tuna and soup mixture a good stirring and then pour over the vegetables. DO NOT STIR IT. Put a few random drops of Tabasco over the soup mix so that it looks like little red dots.

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes, or until the top starts to brown in areas. Remove and let it sit for 10 minutes or so. Serve hot. 

Spiced Squash and Feta Bake

We have been getting a lot of patty-pans and zucchinis in our CSA basket these past few weeks. So, in an attempt to empty my vegetable tray and to make a quick and easy dinner, I decided to make this baked dish. I used as many different colored zucchinis and patty-pans as possible to make the dish more colorful; so if you are going to buy the ingredients for this dish, I suggest you do the same.

Spiced Squash and Feta Bake

1-2 zucchini, chopped
2-3 scallop squash, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
Approximately 7oz penne, cooked
2 eggs
2 cups milk
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
1 tsp oregano
½ cup fresh basil leaves, chopped fine
1-2 tsp chili flakes (optional)
2-3 tbsp feta cheese, crumbled
1 tsp marjoram

Cook the pasta until al dente and keep aside. While it’s cooking, chop the zucchini, patty-pans, and pepper into roughly the same size, and place in a large bowl. Chop the basil, and add it to the zucchini mixture with the all the spices (Do not add the cheese) mixing it well. In a seperate bowl whisk the eggs with the milk.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. In an oven-proof, glass baking dish, put in the pasta. Next, evenly cover the pasta with the zucchini mixture. Sprinkle the feta cheese over the entire dish, and then pour in the egg and milk mix. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes or until the top starts to brown. Serve hot.

Pasta in Herb Butter

Pasta in Herb Butter

7oz whole wheat Rotini (curly pasta)

1 ½ tsp butter

1 tsp Italian seasoning

½ tsp onion powder

½ tsp chili flakes (optional)

Pepper to taste

Cook pasta until al dente. Remove into a colander to drain. In the same pasta pot, melt the butter and add the seasonings.  Allow it to sizzle for about a minute, so that the herbs start to cook, and their flavor is well infused in the butter. Switch off the stove, add the pasta back into the pot and toss until well mixed. Serve with Bok Choy and Mushroom Bake. 

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

I have a folder full of recipes, that I have printed of the web and never tried. Yesterday, I decided to try one. Of course, I made a few changes to it, but the recipe turned out extremely well. It's now being shifted into my permanent recipe file. The original recipe is on Simple Recipes website, but I added a few more herbs and increased a few quantities, to make this recipe for flavorful and more suitable to my taste.

Sausage, Peppers, and Onions

2-3 oz penne pasta
1 pkt polish Kilbasa, cut into 1inch pieces
2 tbs olive oil
1 green pepper, sliced into long strips
1 red pepper, sliced into long strips
1 yellow pepper, sliced into long strips
4 garlic cloves, sliced into slivers
1 lrg white onion, cut into wedges
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian style
1 tbs dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
3/4 cup red wine
1 tsp red pepper flakes
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste

Cook the penne until al dente and set aside. Heat the oil in a pan with a lid; when hot add sausages and allow them to brown on all sides, remove and kepp aside. Put the peppers and onions into the pan, and allow to brown, almost singe it. Add the garlic and allow it to brown. Next add the red wine, and allow it to reduce by about half. Now add the tomatoes, oregano, basil, pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Stir it in well, add the sausages, cover and simmer for about 5 - 10 mins. Switch off the stove, and add in the penne. Serve hot!

When-In-Doubt Pasta In White Sauce

There are days when I have cooker’s block! Yes, I just made that term up. It’s when I have no idea what to cook, nothing in my recipe book, folder, and file appeals to me, and there isn't enough time to browse through random recipes online. This is when I turn to pasta.

My husband is not a big fan of pastas. He’s lactose-intolerant and finding tasty pasta recipes without cheese in them is close to impossible. So, I usually come up with my own recipes, and they are generally in a white sauce. For this recipe I've used Penne, but I prefer Farfella (the bow-tie looking one). Here is what I made for dinner Friday night.

Pasta in White Sauce

8oz (About 200gms) Penne

1 (full) chicken breast, cut into approximate 2 X 2 inch chunks

1 zuchinni, cut into chunks

1 red or yellow pepper, diced

1 bunch green onions, diced

2-3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 heaped tsp dried oregano

1 headed tsp dried thyme

1 heaped tsp dried marjoram

Salt to taste

Pepper to taste

Chili Flakes (optional)

1 cup (shredded) cheddar cheese (optional)

1 cup milk

1 tbs flour

Little olive oil

In a saucepan, bring some water to a boil, with a little salt and a teaspoon of olive oil. Once it’s at a rolling boil, put in the pasta and cook till almost al dente. Switch off and keep. The hot water will continue to cook the pasta until it cools down, which is why you must switch it off before it is fully cooked. 

In a bowl, mix together the flour and milk, and set aside. In another bowl, marinate the chicken pieces with about a teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

Heat a little olive oil in a pan on medium heat. Once it’s hot, put in the chopped pepper and green onion. Fry it a little, till the green onion starts to brown and the pepper starts to soften. Then add the garlic and cook till it browns. Add the herbs, chili flakes, salt, and pepper and cook for about 30 seconds. If it starts to stick or burn, use a little water from the boiled pasta. Next put in the chicken and allow it to brown slightly. When the chicken is half cooked add the zucchini. Now add the milk mixture and let it heat up and start to thicken. Add cheese if you wish to. Bring the sauce up to the consistency you like. Switch off the stove. Drain the pasta and mix it in with the chicken in white sauce. Serve hot with a salad. If you’re not lactose-intolerant, sprinkle with grated Parmesan.

Note:

*The pasta should have a generaous coating of white sauce, it should not be floating in it.

*I keep the skin on the zucchini, cut of the ends, slice it into quarters length wise, then cut it about ½ an inch thick. The zucchini pieces should be about ½ the size of the raw chicken pieces.

*I use lactose-free fat-free milk, but using whole milk will make it a lot creamier and tastier.