Roasted Red Pepper Penne

Today I tried another recipe from my friend Jacy's blog. Of course I modified it a bit to suit our family but it was basically the same. You can find her recipe here. I love pasta, and I love roasted red peppers so I figured this was a sure fire hit. It was delicious, and while I tend to stick with the original recipe to start I will likely make some additions next time I make it. I will add more heat next time by adding some red chili pepper flakes, and I may try less fennel or an entirely different herb. I liked it, but my daughter was iffy of the fennel.

5 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
about 3/4 of a head garlic, peeled, whole cloves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons of fennel seeds
Salt and pepper

a couple handfuls of baby spinach

(dried red chili pepper flakes to taste)
1 and 1/2 boxes of smart pasta penne

Pre heat your oven to 425 F

Place chopped red peppers, onions and whole peeled garlic cloves in a bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt pepper and fennel seeds. Spread evenly on a foil lined baking sheet and place in the oven for about 45 mins or until tender and starting to turn colour, stirring it around once to make sure they are cooking evenly.

While the veggies are cooking, start a big pot of salted water boiling.

Once the veggies are done, put them in a food processor and puree them with a little water if necessary. As soon as it is pureed, throw in a few handfuls of baby spinach. You could leave them whole, or tear them up or if you need to be more sneaky you could whirl them in the food processor with the sauce and call it parsley. But you didn't hear that from me ;-) I also added a Tbsp of fresh parsley at this point because I love parsley but its not really necessary. I would also add some dried red chili pepper flakes here next time, and perhaps some balsamic vinegar (although I didn't add it this time)

Cook your penne in lots of boiling, salted water (any starch should be cooked with salt in the water) when the veggies are almost done.

If you start your penne on time, just keeping the lid on the food processor should be enough to keep the sauce warm until it's time to mix it together, If not, then keep your sauce warm on the stovetop in a sauce pan, and wait to toss in the spinach until the pasta is almost ready. You don't want to really cook the spinach, just warm it and wilt it a little.

Drain the pasta, add it back into the pot, and dump the pureed pepper sauce on and mix it up. I served it with fresh Parmesan shavings. Shredded mozzarella might be nice for a change.

This was really good. Next time I think I will add some balsamic vinegar to the sauce, and maybe some roasted zucchini  as well, which I would roast, but not puree.

Worth every Penne (pasta with chicken, bacon, spinach and pesto sauce

*from eat Shrink and be Merry

Sauce:
2 TBSP basil pesto
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper


2 cups uncooked whole wheat penne noodles (about 8 oz/227 g)
4 slices reduced sodium bacon, chopped
3 cups sliced mushrooms
1 cup chopped red onions
3 big handfuls baby spinach leaves
12 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
3 cups chopped cooked chicken breast
1/4 cup shaved parm or romano cheese, or 1/2 cup crumbled light feta cheese
freshly ground black pepper to taste

To prepare sauce, whisk together all sauce ingredients in a small bowl and set aside.
Cook penne noodles according to package directions. Drain and keep warm.
While pasta is boiling cook bacon in large non stick skillet or wok over med-high heat for about 2 minutes. Remove and discard about 1 TBSP bacon drippings from skillet. Add mushrooms and onions to skillet. Cook and stir until vegetables start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add spinach leaves and tomatoes. Cook until spinach is wilted. Stir in chicken and cook just until chicken is heated through. Add cooked penne noodles and mix well. Add reserved sauce and mix again. Remove from heat and sprinkle with Parmasan cheese and black pepper.

Makes 6 servings.
Nutritional info per serving.
Cal: 331
total fat: 10.6 g
saturated fat: 2.9 g
protein: 27 g
carbs: 31 g
fiber: 5.7 g
cholesterol: 50 mg
sodium: 270 mg

Taco Casserole/ flaming cheese dip.

I just kind of throw thigs together so all amounts are a guess

Cook some noodles, what ever you have really. Set aside
Brown some ground beef, with some red peppers, onions, jalepeno peppers, whatever you have. I have used fresh and jarred with equal success.
Add a packet of taco seasoning and a jar of salsa. Season to taste if you need it. You could add cummin, cayene, chili peppers, green chilis, salt and pepper, garlic, whatever. I usually find it doesn't need much else. Shred up some cheese. I use cheddar, but you could use monterey jack, mozzerella, whatever you have on hand. I use about 2 cups maybe? Throw that in the pan and mix it all up to melt it, and add the noodles and give is a good stir. At this point it is ready to eat, but you could also put it in the oven to keep it warm, or mix up the flavours or whatever. I serve it with a dollop og sour cream and sometimes some chopped up green onions on top.

** this also makes a great party dip if you eliminate the noodles and up the cheese content, and maybe make it a little hotter on the spicy scale. Just serve it with cut up baguettes 

Penne Alla Vodka

Super simple and super yummy. I promise. This time I used cheese tortellini but you could use any pasta and it's just as delish,

This is more an American-Italian recipe than an Italian-American one. 

Often, restaurant chefs finish this dish by swirling butter into the sauce at the end. You can do the same, or use olive oil to finish the sauce..

Salt
One 35-ounce can Italian plum tomatoes  with their liquid
1 pound penne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
10 cloves garlic, peeled
Crushed hot red pepper
1/4 cup vodka
1/2 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter or olive oil for finishing the sauce, if you like
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley
3/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for passing if you like

Bring 6 quarts of salted water to a boil in an 8-quart pot over high heat.
Pour the tomatoes and their liquid into the work bowl of a food processor. Using quick on/off pulses, process the tomatoes just until they are finely chopped. (Longer processing will aerate the tomatoes, turning them pink.)
Stir the penne into the boiling water. Bring the water back to a boil, stirring frequently. Cook the pasta, semi-covered, stirring occasionally, until done, 8 to 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Whack the garlic cloves with the side of a knife and add them to the hot oil. Cook, shaking the skillet, until the garlic is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Lower the work bowl with the tomatoes close to the skillet and carefully — they will splatter — slide the tomatoes into the pan. Bring to a boil, season lightly with salt and generously with crushed red pepper, and boil 2 minutes. Pour in the vodka, lower the heat so the sauce is at a lively simmer, and simmer until the pasta is ready.
Just before the pasta is done, fish the garlic cloves out of the sauce and pour in the cream. Add the 2 tablespoons butter or oil, if using, and swirl the skillet to incorporate into the sauce. If the skillet is large enough to accommodate the sauce and pasta, fish the pasta out of the boiling water with a large wire skimmer and drop it directly into the sauce in the skillet. If not, drain the pasta, return it to the pot, and pour in the sauce. Bring the sauce and pasta to a boil, stirring to coat the pasta with sauce. Check the seasoning, adding salt and red pepper if necessary. Sprinkle the parsley over the pasta and boil until the sauce is reduced enough to cling to the pasta.
Remove the pot from the heat, sprinkle 3/4 cup of the cheese over the pasta, and toss to mix. Serve immediately, passing additional cheese if you like.


Makes 6 servings.

Fettuccine with Scallops

This is my go-to scallop recipe. Yes there are others, but I usually have all these ingredients on hand and I can whip it up in a jiffy.

Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients:
14 ounces dry fettuccine pasta
1 pound scallops 
1 small shallot, chopped
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
Juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons butter
1 cup chicken broth
1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup whipping cream
2 teaspoons dry thyme
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Cook fettuccine until al dente; drain well.
2. In a large frying pan, heat 3 tablespoons butter; saute shallot and most of the garlic ( save some for the scallops) until tender. Add wine and chicken broth. Simmer 10 minutes.
3. Add cream and lemon juice and bring to boil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add pasta to sauce; toss well.
4. In a skillet melt the remaining butter. Add scallops, remaining ( or additional) garlic  and thyme. Sauté scallops, 2-3 minutes either side, or until lightly browned. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
5. Put fettuccine on serving dishes and place scallops over pasta. Serve.