It is formed into large blocks, and aged in brine. Its flavor is tangy and salty. It ranges from mild to sharp. I am talking about Feta Cheese.
A friend sent me a recipe that she had not made but a friend had and fell in love with it. It is a baked Feta pasta. I made it last night. Never knew that Feta could melt this way.
I made the recipe just like it was supposed to be made. It is probably going to be my summer go to recipe. Very easy.
Check this out: BAKE FETA PASTA
8 ounce block of feta cheese. Buy the block and not the crumbled feta
1 1/2 pounds cherry or grape tomatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup white wine. It is optional but I used it.
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes. That gives it a little bit of heat so you may use 1/4 tsp if that is a concern.
8 ounces uncooked pasta of your choice. The recipe showed a short pasta which I think will be better for this recipe. I bought a pasta from a company I had never used. It turned out great. Can’t turn the photo around so sorry for that but you can see it, right?
3 large cloves of garlic, pressed or minced. I was at Fresh Market in Rehoboth Beach and got already roasted garlic which I proceeded to chop.
1 large handful fresh baby spinach. Take stems out.
1 cup loosely-packed chopped fresh basil
shaved or grated Parmesan cheese, for garnish
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees
Make the Feta sauce by placing the block of feta in the center of a 9 x 13 inch baking pan or other baking pan. I had a round baking pan. Arrange the tomatoes around the feta, then drizzle everything evenly with the olive oil and white wine. Give the ingredients a brief toss so that they are evenly coated in oil. Sprinkle the crushed red pepper flakes evenly over the feta, and season just the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and black pepper.
Bake in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes. You want to see the tomatoes burst and are nice and juicy.
Cook the pasta about 10 minutes before the Feta and tomatoes are done. Use a nice large stockpot and salt the water generously. You want the pasta to be shy of al dente. Reserve 1 cup of the starchy pasta water and set it aside for later, then drain the pasta.
Remove the baking dish from the oven and immediately add the garlic and basil and stir the mixture together until the feta has melted into a creamy sauce. And, it will.
Add in the cooked pasta and spinach and gently toss until the pasta is evenly coated and the spinach has begun to wilt. If by any chance the sauce seems too dry, add in some of the reserved starchy water. Not much until it reaches the desired consistency. Mine was fine but I was ready to add the water and even some white wine if needed.
You can taste and season but I don’t think you need to add anything else.
Serve it warm and if you want you can garnish with the Parmesan cheese.
This recipe is a keeper. Enjoy it and make it your own.
Have a great week-end.
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The easy entertaining time of the year is about to arrive. Barbecuing, outdoor dinners, backyard entertaining. Something easy is what calls for summer.
I love the name of this recipe. Peacock Vegetables. It is a recipe from 2002 and I have made it a lot. It is so simple. Vegetables and the rest you have in your pantry already.
Pre heat oven to 425 degrees
2 purple onions, cut into eighths
2 small yellow squash, cut in 1/2″ strips
2 small zucchini, cut in 1/2″ strips
1 each red, yellow and green bell pepper, cut in 1/2″ strips
4 cloves of garlic, sliced thin
2 tbsp. minced fresh parsley ( I like Italian)
1 tbsp. balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp. olive oil
1/2 tsp dried oregano or 3 tbsp. fresh oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
Place onion, squash, bell peppers and garlic in a bowl and toss well.
Combine remaining ingredients in a lidded jar and shake well. Pour dressing over vegetables and toss.
Spoon into a greased 9 x 13 inch baking pan.
The photo above is before going into the oven.
Bake at 425 degrees for 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.
I served these veggies with my Cornish Game Hens, whose post was right here on March 28th.
Goes well with everything. Great tasting too.
Have a great day. AboutMyBeaches is on Facebook. Leave a comment there.
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In 1997 my children went to Worcester Country School in Berlin, MD. Since then the school is now known as Worcester Preparatory School.
Over the years a lot of parents were involved in the school and I was one of them. Book fairs, galas, Christmas Programs, Reading Programs, Teacher Appreciation Luncheons, etc. etc.
Years before my time the school had published a cookbook called A Collection of Recipes. It was as I mentioned above 1997 and the Parents Association decided to do another cookbook called A Collection of Recipes II.
As you can see the book has been used over the years. I was the Chairperson on this journey that took many months with parents giving us their best recipes. It took a school not a village to complete this project.
I don’t think the book is available anymore. Parents supported this book and it was a great success. The book is probably in your cabinet, but I keep my handy because the recipes are really good. I still feel strong about those words in the dedication that said “But food not only nourishes our minds and bodies. Food serves as a way for people to come together — sharing ideas, experiences and cultures”.
Tonight I made a recipe from this book called Pickled Shrimp. I was invited to a friend’s house. Pickled Shrimp is an easy recipe and it is usually liked by everyone. You can serve it year-round.
1 pound medium shrimp, uncooked
1 tablespoon pickling spices
1 tablespoon Dijon style mustard
1 teaspoon prepared horseradish
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 white wine vinegar
2 green onions sliced, including the greens
Pull shrimp from shells. Discard shells. I bought shrimp already peeled and I just pulled the tails out. Make sure if you buy frozen shrimp to defrost them.
In a 2-quart saucepan, cover shrimp and pickling spices with water. Bring to a boil; simmer over medium heat about 2 minutes. Strain water leaving spices on shrimp. Set aside.
In a small bowl combine mustard, horseradish, oil, salt, celery salt, vinegar and onions. Pour over drained shrimp. Cover and refrigerate 6 hours or overnight. The longer you marinate it the better they taste. Pour in a pretty bowl with the sauce and enjoy. Serve cold.
This recipe could easily be doubled, as well.
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It was early in the morning in the Island of Culebra and I was coming back to Rehoboth Beach, Delaware. The beautiful sunrise on this island is breathtaking and so is the sunset. We did have an advantage view.
It was over a week of swimming, cooking, and eating. A few spirits too. This recipe that I will share with you is of the Spanish Tortilla. In Spain every time you visit a tasca you will find the tortilla in their tapas menu. In different regions the Spanish Tortilla is prepared in different ways. Some tortillas have onions and potatoes only. Some are more dry than others. Either way it is a simple dish, one that works in all cases. Breakfast, lunch, dinner or appetizers.
You probably have the ingredients in your refrigerator.
This recipe was given to me without anything written.
Pre-heat oven at 350 degrees.
Peel 2 large potatoes and cut in small chunks.
1 medium onion, chopped.
In a small oven proof skillet put a little bit of olive oil and sautee the potatoes and onions until just soft, seasoning to your taste. Then, beat 4 to 5 eggs which you have added a bit of salt. Pour over the potatoes and onions and cook over low to medium heat until the borders are done.
Put skillet in the oven for 20 minutes.
Invert on a platter and this is how it should look.
To this Spanish Tortilla we added crumbled chorizo sausage. Not a lot just a bit. You don’t want to overtake the tortilla.
Enjoy. Meatless Monday is a global organization trying to inform people that eating healthy is the way to go even if it is just on Mondays.
Check my Facebook Page AboutMyBeaches. Thanks.
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I have a friend that every time I put a recipe for “Meatless Monday” she always comments on my Facebook Page “I rather eat a hamburger.” She rarely comments, but on that day she does. This recipe is for her because Stuffed Pork is what’s for dinner.
On this recipe I measured everything with 1/4 cup. As usual, you can make your recipes your own…..add a little bit of this or a little bit of that.
YUMMY STUFFED PORK
1 1/2 lbs. pork loin (This one was already seasoned…that’s does not matter with this recipe. That’s all the grocery store had that day.)
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup dried figs
1/4 cup crushed pineapple, drained with juice reserved
pepper to taste
1 tsp. rosemary
1/4 cup whole cranberry sauce
1/4 cup of fig preserves
1/4 cup 100% Pomegranate Juice
Kitchen twine
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees.
The pork loin had a meat thermometer so I took it out and proceeded to make a slit on top not all the way to the bottom and not all the way (almost) to the sides. This is done to create a pocket for the filling.
In a bowl, mix the cranberries, raisins, figs, pepper, rosemary, and crushed pineapple. This is your filling…packed that loin up. Your fingers are the best tool for this.
Cut the twine in order to wrap the pork loin so that the filling stays put while cooking. Place in a baking dish. I inserted the meat thermometer on the side.
Bake for about 20 minutes. While it is cooking, make the sauce.
In a bowl mix the Pomegranate juice, the cranberry sauce, fig preserves, and reserved pineapple juice. Take the pork loin out of the oven and spoon the sauce on. Put back in the oven for another 25 minutes or so or until the meat thermomether pops.
Take it out and let it rest for a few minutes before slicing and taking the twine and thermometer out.
Slice and enjoy. This dish can go well with mashers, corn pudding or corn bread, green beans, a salad….Leftovers? Sandwich would be my suggestion…with some mustard, as well.
Note: When slicing just do it carefully. You might have to arrange it a bit if filling falls off somewhat. If you want more sauce just mix the ingredients on a small saucepan, heat and pour over.
Have a great day….gorgeous out there!!
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Meatless Monday is a trend that has been taking the nation by storm…..just a day to stay away from meat!! So, as the weather in Rehoboth Beach turned a little cloudy, I thought that the Red Mushroom Bisque would be a good alternative to anything else you might have thought preparing.
First of all, the original recipe has been completely deconstructed….it is my own now. Hope you like it.
RED MUSHROOM BISQUE
2 tablespoons vegetable oil; more if needed
1 1/4 lbs. mushrooms…..I used two different types of mushrooms; your favorites will do.
Salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/3 cup Sherry or Madeira wine….or a bit more, if you want to.
3 cups unsalted vegetable broth, plus more if desired.
2 cups almond cream (recipe will follow)
Chopped Chives for garnish
White Truffle Oil for garnish
Basil paste for garnish (found at grocery stores, by the fresh veggies)
Heat a large soup pot on medium high heat. Add the vegetable oil, then mushrooms. Cook, stirring often until the mushrooms begin to brown. Remove from the heat, spread on a plate and let them cool off.
Season the mushrooms with salt and pepper.
In the same pot, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and add the onions, cooking them until translucent and slightly browned. Add the garlic, then, the Madeira or Sherry, scrapping the bottom of the pot.
Add 3 cups of unsalted vegetable broth and half of the cooled mushrooms. Simmer and remove from heat.
In your blender, blend the mushroom mixture. Return the blended mixture to the pot.
Whisk in the almond cream.
Heat the soup, having in mind that it could thicken as it heats up. If it does that, you can add a bit of the unsalted vegetable broth and that will take care of it. I don’t think you will have any problems, though.
ALMOND CREAM
1 cup raw almonds
1 large clove garlic
6 or 7 cocktail tomatoes cut in half….they are bigger than the grape tomatoes.
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
2 tablespoons of basil paste, found by the fresh veggies in the grocery store.
In a high powered blender or Nutri-Bullet, which is what I used, put all the ingredients and blend until smooth. That’s all! It will be like a cream, not totally smooth, but close to it.
Serve your Red Mushroom Bisque on a pretty bowl and garnish with chives, basil paste and drizzles of truffle oil. If you do not have truffle oil, you can use your favorite oil.
Enjoy!!
Last year, Rehoboth Beach VegFest was a one day event….this year is the whole week-end, but the day to really go and enjoy the tastings, recipes, and talks will be on Saturday, June 14th. All the details can be found at http://www.rehobothvegfest.org.
Looking forward to a cold, and snowy winter day at the Delaware Beaches. And, good morning to you too wherever you are. It is 9 degrees in Rehoboth Beach as I sat down to write this post. Can’t wait until this p.m. when temperatures will be soaring to a mere 18 degrees!! Love the changes in season, that’s why I can’t wait for Spring!! By the way, they say if you want to be warm today, you have to go to Phoenix, Arizona. No mention of South Florida.
It is what it is….so how about some Scrapple Muffins this morning. I am sure you have Scrapple in your refrigerator. Love the RAPA brand. The two brothers Ralph and Paul Adams many years ago developed it and it is the largest scrapple producer in the world. It is located in the town of Bridgeville, Delaware. Please note that you can order scrapple from RAPA from November through February. To read more about it, please visit http://www.rapascrapple.com.
I have made these Scrapple Muffins before. Besides the original Scrapple from RAPA, others are now in the market; Chipotle, Bacon, and their newest…Turkey Scrapple. It is really good and definitely lower in fat.
The recipe is a little bit of this and a little bit of that. Want it hotter? Then add the jalapenos, just like I did.
First cook the scrapple….well done; crispy. Take out of frying pan, chop and save.
Chopped onion…about 1/2 cup.
Chopped pickled jalapenos…that’s your call.
Add to the onions in the frying pan.
Once that’s done, add the chopped scrapple.
The muffin mix can be store bought or you can make your own. Therefore, you will need eggs, and milk. I like evaporated milk because it makes a delicious muffin. Add 1/2 cup of grated extra sharp cheese. My pan was deep and 6 big muffins is all I could get.
Add the scrapple mixture to the muffin mix and pour into your favorite lightly greased muffin pan. Sprinkle with extra grated cheese.
It took about 1/2 hour or so to bake these muffins. Just test them by inserting a knife in the middle. If it comes out clean…they are ready!!
This recipe is really good, if I say so myself. Even though it is not one of the most dietetic recipes, I think you will like it. Friends will be asking you for the recipe. It is the perfect recipe to take to a party, picnic or beach. It does travel well.
It is pasta, and it does have salami and cheese, but to tell you the truth, it is pretty light and I think it has to do with the dressing.
Don’t eat it all at once, but if you do eat more than you wanted to, then just increase you exercise routine by about 3 hours. That should do it!!
TORTELLINI SALAD
20 ounces cheese tortellini (any kind), cooked al dente and drained
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1/2 lb. salami, cubed
1/2 lb. Havarti cheese, cubed (I bought the one that had jalapenos.)
1 red or green bell pepper, chopped
1 cup sliced black olives
6 green onions, including tops, sliced
DRESSING
6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 cup virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons dried basil
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/4 teaspoon of salt (I did not add any since the salami and cheese had plenty.)
1/2 teaspoon of pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced (optional)
In a large bowl, combine tortellini, parsley, salami, cheese, bell pepper, olives and green onions.
In a blender or food processor, combine all dressing ingredients; blend well. Pour dressing over salad and toss thoroughly.
Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. If making it over 3 hours ahead of time, reserve half the dressing and toss with salad just before serving.
Serves about 10 people.
Enjoy and make it your own.
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