Pasta with Roasted Peppers, Artichokes and Sun-Dried Tomatoes

Hungry and in a hurry? Here’s a quick and satisfying meal that’s easy to put together from pantry staples — things you probably already have on hand. It’s a great dish for when you don’t have a meal planned or a lot of time to prepare one.  The prep time is only 15 minutes, so you can prepare the no-cook sauce while you’re boiling the pasta water, and you’ll be chowing down in no time at all!

• 1 jar (12 oz.) marinated artichokes, drained well and chopped
• 1 jar (12 oz.) roasted red peppers, drained well and chopped
• 2 Tbsp. chopped Italian flat-leaf parsley
• 2 Tbsp. sundried tomatoes in oil, drained and julienned
• 3 Tbsp.  brine-cured black olives, pitted and sliced
• ½ c. extra virgin olive oil
• 2 Tbsp. red wine vinegar
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 16 oz. pasta—penne, fusilli, rotini or campanelle would work well

Combine all ingredients except pasta in a small, non-metal bowl. Stir well to blend. Cook the pasta according to the package directions and drain. Toss the hot pasta with the artichoke, red pepper and sundried tomato mixture and serve at once with grated romano cheese.

Ooey Gooey Mac and Cheese

Last weekend we had about 7 inches of snow here in Northern New Jersey. It was a light, fluffy kind of snow, made all the more wonderful because it fell on a Saturday when we had no place to go. We were able to sit by the fire in our family room and watch out the window as it fell. It was a relaxing, peaceful day and a perfect time for comfort food, so I dug out my mom’s Ooey Gooey Mac & Cheese recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb. penne pasta

• 1 Tbsp. olive oil

• 2 Tbsp. butter

• 2 Tbsp. flour

• 2 c. heavy cream

• ¼ tsp. salt

• ¼ tsp. black pepper

• 1 ½ c. shredded mozzarella

• 1 c. shredded white cheddar cheese

• ¾ c. grated romano cheese

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400°. Cook the penne in 4 quarts of salted water till al dente. Drain well, return to pot and toss with olive oil.

Melt butter in a saucepan over med-low heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown. Slowly whisk in cream, bring to a simmer, and cook till slightly thickened — making sure to whisk frequently. Remove from heat and add salt and pepper. Cover to keep warm.

Combine cheeses in a large bowl. Fold the cooked pasta into the cheeses and then pour the hot cream mixture over the pasta and cover the bowl immediately with foil. Let it stand for about 3 minutes. Uncover the bowl and stir with rubber spatula, scraping the melted cheese from the sides and bottom of the bowl until everything is combined and all the cheese is melted. Transfer the mixture to a 9” x 13” baking dish. Bake till top is light golden, about 15 minutes, and serve.

Zucchini Pie

 

After an unfortunate hiatus due to a death in the family, I am back to blogging. It’s hard to believe so much time has passed by, and the summer is almost over. I’m begrudgingly coming to accept that it’s time to stock up on school supplies, but hopefully we’ll get in a few more trips to beach—after Hurricane Irene passes through, of course!

Here’s a summer recipe that I return to again and again when I need a no-brainer type of dinner—quick, easy and comforting—which is exactly what I needed these past few weeks. Hope you enjoy it, too!

Ingredients:

1 ready-made, unroll-and-fill pie crust

4 c. zucchini, sliced

1 c. onion, chopped

Extra virgin olive oil

¼ tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. salt

A couple of turns of freshly ground black pepper

¼ c. fresh basil, julienned

2 Tbsp. fresh Italian parsley, minced

1 tsp. fresh oregano, minced (or ¼ tsp. dried)

3 eggs, beaten

8 oz. mozzarella, shredded

Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 375°. Prick the pie crust. Saute the zucchini and onions in olive oil over medium-high heat for 10 minutes. Add the garlic powder, salt and pepper, and remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the basil, parsley and oregano. In a large bowl combine the eggs and mozzarella, and then fold in the zucchini and onions.  Pour the mixture into the pie shell and bake for 45 minutes.

My Aunt Mary’s Pasta

  

On Monday, to celebrate the harvest festival of Lammas my family and I shared a simple, yet hearty vegetarian meal. At the heart of it was a quick-to-prepare pasta dish my Aunt Mary often made, which is known in our house simply as Aunt Mary’s Pasta. Yeah, it’s a pretty nondescript name, but don’t let that fool you — this dish is full of flavor! Alongside it, I served a large salad with lots of fresh veggies from the farmer’s market and a big, crusty loaf of Italian semolina bread. How did you and your family celebrate Lammas?

Ingredients:

·      10 - 12 plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped

·      ½ medium red onion, diced

·      1 cup basil, chopped

·      1 large clove of garlic, minced

·      4 -5 Tbsp. extra virgin olive oil

·      2 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

·      2 Tbsp. kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

·      12 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

·      salt and pepper to taste

·      1 lb. pasta (campanelle and cellentani work well)

Preparation:

Simply combine the first eight ingredients in a large bowl and season the mixture with salt and pepper to taste. 

Then, cook the pasta al dente according to the package directions and drain it well. Transfer the pasta to a large serving bowl, add the tomato mixture and gently fold it in until it’s thoroughly combined. 

Mushroom Barley Soup

This delicious vegetarian soup is so hearty and also easy to prepare. Best of all, it freezes really well so you can make it once, eat some and store the rest for another meal!

·      2 tsp. olive oil
·      1 leek, trimmed to leave 3 in. green, halved lengthwise, sliced crosswise, washed well
·      1 c. diced celery
·      8 c. vegetable broth
·      1-1/2 c. each turnip and peeled carrot (1/2” diced)
·      2 tsp. minced garlic
·      ½ tsp. each caraway seeds, dried thyme and black pepper
·      1 bay leaf, broken in half
·      1 c. quick-cooking barley
·      ¾ lb. sliced mushrooms
·      1 14-½ oz. can diced tomatoes in juice
·      4 c. fresh spinach leaves, shredded

In 5 qt. heavy stockpot, heat olive oil. Add leek and celery; cook over medium heat for 5 minutes until crisp-tender. Add broth, turnip, carrot, minced garlic, caraway seeds, thyme, pepper and bay leaf; bring to a boil. Stir in barley; reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes. Add mushrooms and tomatoes with their juice; simmer 5 minutes until barley and veggies are tender. Stir in shredded spinach; simmer 1 minute or until spinach is wilted. Remove bay leaf halves.

Half of a batch serves 4; you can freeze the remaining soup in a 2 qt. freezer container for up to 3 months.