Swedish Baked Feta & Tomatoes

This went viral on the internet several years ago.  It makes a tasty dish and is fairly quick.  Who doesn't love pasta and cheese!  Other non-carb options below.

1/2-1 lb pasta
1 block (8 oz) feta cheese
1/4-1/2 cup olive oil
12-16 oz grape or cherry tomatoes, (cut in 1/2, if large)
4 garlic cloves. slivered 

1 T capers

1/2 t dried oregano

black or Aleppo pepper

fresh basil leaves, sliced thinly

Pour some olive into the bottom of the baking dish. Place the whole feta block in the center.  Place the tomatoes, garlic, and capers around the cheese.  Pour more olive oil on top. Sprinkle the oregano and pepper on top.

Bake in 400 F for 15 minutes on the middle rack. Then turn on the broiler, move to a higher rack, and let cheese and tomatoes brown a bit.  It could take 3-5 minutes. Watch carefully so it doesn’t burn.

Cook the pasta al dente according to cooking instructions. 

Break up the feta a bit and mix it all together until creamy.* Top the pasta with this and add plenty of basil leaves.

*Can also be served with crackers or chips, over roasted veggies, or baked with a couple of cans of drained chickpeas.

Recipe adapted from:  https://liemessa.fi/2020/09/baked-feta-pasta-original-recipe/

Truffled Gnocchi

This is my version of a dish I had at an Italian restaurant.  I prepared it for Book Club tonight.

1 package gnocchi (about 1 pound)

1 1/2 T butter

1 T flour

1 C milk (whole or 2%, or add some cream)

1/2 C truffle cheese* (available at Trader Joe’s)

4-5 T grated parmesan/romano

2-3 t truffle oil

Preheat oven to 425º with rack in the middle.  Butter a shallow baking dish about 8” x 8”.

Start the water to boil for the gnocchi and follow the package directions.

Make a white sauce melting the butter, then gradually stirring in the flour.  Whisk in the milk until smooth.  Gradually stir in the truffle cheese until melted.  Add 2 T of the parmesan cheese.  Keep on low while you heat the gnocchi, usually for about a minute or two until it floats to the surface.

Drain the water thoroughly, then stir into the cheese sauce.  Spread into the prepared dish.  Sprinkle with enough of the remaining parmesan to cover.

Bake for 5-8 minutes until bubbly and the top is browned.  

Remove from the oven and drizzle with the truffle oil.

*Substitute gruyere or other melty cheese.

Rotini with Garbanzos and Feta

This is a good vegetarian dish, but you can add cooked chicken, salmon, shrimp or tuna to make it more meaty.  Adjust seasonings to your taste.  You can make it ahead of time and chill it to serve as a salad.

• 6 oz rotini ( spiral-shaped pasta)
• 1 T + 2 T olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 6 cups coarsely chopped spinach
• 1 (15-ounce) cans chickpeas, drained
• 3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• ¼- ½ cup sliced olives (black or kalamata)
• 1/3 cup sliced sun-dried tomatoes
• 2-3 T fresh lemon juice
• 1-2 t Italian seasoning (basil and oregano)
• Salt to taste  (feta and olives will add saltiness)
• Freshly ground pepper to taste
• Lemon wedges (optional)  
• Parmesan cheese (optional)  

Preparation

1. Cook pasta according to directions.
2. Saute garlic until light golden, about 1 minute.  Remove, then add spinach.  Turn off heat.  Stir and cook slightly.  Remove from pan and place in bowl.
3. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl; toss well.
4. Garnish with lemon wedges and parmesan cheese, if desired.

Mediterranean Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

 This was a simple dinner to make, although it took time to bake the tomatoes.  It was so easy and very tasty.  Although the original recipe called for Roma tomatoes, I found the skin on them to be too tough.

This sauce also works well for other uses, too.  Spread it on bread, cooked eggs, veggies.  You'll find other uses, too.

2 pounds tomatoes, about 4-5 tomatoes cut into about 2-inch pieces
1/4 C olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T Italian seasoning
1/4-1/2 t crushed red pepper
1/2 t sea salt
1/4 t ground pepper
8 ounces pasta, such as spaghetti or fettuccine (I used an 8 oz. pkg of TJ's garlic fettuccine)

shredded parmesan cheese

1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place tomato chunks, cut-sides up, in foil-lined 9x13 inch pan. Mix oil, minced garlic and seasonings in small bowl. Spoon over tomatoes.

2. Roast 45 to 60 minutes until tomatoes are soft and browned on top.

3. Prepare pasta as directed on package. Drain well.

4. Coarsely mash the roasted tomatoes on the baking pan.  Pour over pasta; toss to mix slightly. Serve with shredded Parmesan cheese and additional crushed red pepper, if desired.

Serves 3-4.

*Next day:  I heated some cooked shredded pork and then added the leftover pasta and tomatoes.  This is one way to make it more hearty, but it isn't necessary.

Original recipe

Greek Style Skillet Supper

I had made this several years ago from a McCormick recipe card and thought it was simple and tasty.  When I looked for the recipe on the McCormick website today, they had increased the amount of beef and the number of servings.

Prep Time: 5 minutes           Cook Time: 25 minutes

½-1* pound ground beef

½ cup chopped onion

2 teaspoons oregano leaves

1 teaspoon cinnamon

½ teaspoon garlic powder

1 can (14½ ounces) reduced sodium beef or chicken broth

1 can (14½ ounces) diced tomatoes, undrained

2 tablespoons tomato paste

1½ cups uncooked penne pasta

1½ cups frozen cut green beans, thawed

¾ cup crumbled feta cheese, divided

DIRECTIONS

1. Cook ground beef and onion in large skillet on medium-high heat until beef is no longer pink, stirring occasionally. Drain fat. Add oregano, cinnamon and garlic powder; mix well.

2. Stir in broth, tomatoes and tomato paste. Bring to boil. Stir in pasta. Reduce heat to medium; cover and cook 10 minutes or until pasta is nearly tender. Stir in green beans and 1/2 cup of the feta cheese. Cover. Cook 5 minutes longer or until pasta is tender.

3. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup feta cheese. Cover. Let stand 5 minutes.

*Makes 4-6 servings.

* ½ pound for 4 servings, 1 pound for 6 servings.

http://www.mccormick.com/Recipes/Main-Dish/Greek-Style-Skillet-Supper.aspx

Saveur Macaroni and Cheese

This was very delicious! But when you read all the rich ingredients you'll understand why.  I only made a half recipe which we ate several times. This could definitely be company fare.  You can make it meatless by leaving out the ham.

11 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted, divided: 1 T grease pan,
        4 T w/ bread crumbs, 6 T for sauce
Kosher salt, to taste
12 oz. rigatoni, cooked
2 slices crustless white bread
2 tsp. finely chopped thyme
1 small onion, finely chopped
1⁄2 cup flour
3 cups milk
2 cups heavy cream
12 oz. grated sharp cheddar
8 oz. roughly chopped cooked ham (used thin-sliced lunch-meat style)
3 oz. blue cheese, crumbled (used gorgonzola)
1⁄2 cup minced flat-leaf parsley (didn’t have any)
1⁄4 tsp. hot sauce, such as Tabasco
1⁄4 freshly ground black pepper
1⁄8 freshly ground nutmeg

1.  Grease a 2-qt. baking dish with 1 tbsp. butter; set aside. Bring a 6-qt. pot of salted water to a boil. Add pasta; cook until al dente. Drain pasta, rinse; set aside. Pulse bread into crumbs in food processor; mix with 4 tbsp. butter; set aside.

2.  Heat oven to 400˚. Melt 6 Tbsp butter in a 6-qt. pot over medium heat. Add thyme and onions; cook until soft, 6–8 minutes. Whisk in flour; cook 2–3 minutes. Whisk in milk and cream. Increase heat to medium-high; cook, whisking, until thick, 10–12 minutes. Whisk in salt, cheddar, ham, blue cheese, parsley, hot sauce, pepper, and nutmeg. Stir in pasta; add to pan; sprinkle with bread crumbs. Bake until bubbly, 30–40 minutes.

Link: http://www.saveur.com/article/Recipes/Macaroni-and-Cheese-1000078214