Penne with Roasted Vegetables

The recipe is from Food Network, and I have made a few changes to it.
Prep Time: 25 min
Cook Time: 40 min
Level: Intermediate
Serves: 6 servings

2 red or green peppers, cored and cut into 1-inch wide strips
2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
2 summer squash, quartered lengthwise and cut into 1-inch cubes
4 mushrooms, halved
1 yellow onion, peeled and sliced into 1-inch strips
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1 tablespoon dried Italian herb mix or herbs de Provence
1 pound penne pasta
3 cups marinara sauce (store bought or homemade)
1 cup grated cheese (or any kind you have, I use cheddar)
1/2 cup grated smoked mozzarella (regular mozzarella will do fine)
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed
1/4 cup grated Parmesan, plus 1/3 cup for topping
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
Directions
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
On a baking sheet, toss the peppers, zucchini, squash, mushrooms, and onions with olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper, and dried herbs. Roast until tender, about 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook for about 6 minutes. Since you will be cooking the pasta a second time in the oven, you want to make sure the inside is still hard. Drain in a colander.
In a large bowl, toss the drained pasta with the roasted vegetables, marinara sauce, cheeses, peas, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Using a wooden spoon, gently mix, until all the pasta is coated with the sauce and the ingredients are combined.
Pour the pasta into a greased 9 by 13-inch pan. Top with the remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan and butter pieces. Bake until top is golden and cheese melts, about 25 minutes.

Makes 6 servings.

Araksya's Tip: Try to use eggplant in addition to these veggies. I also add some Italian sausage to this dish.

Shepherd's Pie

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound pork sausage of your choice
1 onion, chopped
1/2 pound button mushrooms, quartered
4-5 yellow squash or zucchini, coarsely chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups beef stock or chicken broth
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 egg yolk
3 tablespoons sour cream
1/2 pound cheese, shredded (any kind, I like cheddar)
1/4 cup chopped up cooked bacon
3 to 4 tablespoons chives
2 tablespoons Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt
Black pepper
1 teaspoon paprika

Place potatoes in a pot, cover with cold water and bring up to a boil. Season water with salt and boil potatoes until tender, 12 to15 minutes. Save a cup of starchy cooking water just before draining.
Heat a skillet over medium high heat. Add extra-virgin olive oil and the sausage to the pan and caramelize the meat, 4 to 5 minutes. Add in the vegetables and onions and cook until tender, 6 to 7 minutes more then season with salt and pepper.
While meat cooks heat a small sauce pot over medium heat and melt butter, whisk the flour into butter, cook 2 minutes then whisk beef stock into flour, add Worcestershire and season sauce with salt and pepper, to taste. Thicken 6 to 7 minutes.
Put the meat and vegetable mixture into a baking dish, and pour gravy over meat and turn on broiler.
Beat the egg yolk with the starchy potato cooking water. Place drained potatoes back into the pot. Mash potatoes with egg yolk and sour cream then fold in cheese, parsley and chives. Season the potatoes with salt and pepper and spread across the top of the meat in an even layer. Garnish the potatoes with paprika and place under broiler to crisp and brown the potatoes, 2 to 3 minutes. Sprinkle bacon over top.

Serves 6 people

Araksya's Tip: If I have, I like to add eggplant to this dish and cook with the other vegetables.

Mushroom and Chicken Chili

This is not my own recipe but it's one of our favorite ones. The photo is mine.

2 TB vegetable oil
1 lbs boned and skinned chicken breast cut in 1/2 inch chunks
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp minced garlic
2 lbs fresh white mushrooms, quartered (about 10 cups)
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz each) red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp salt

In a dutch oven or large saucepan heat oil until hot. Add chicken, cook stirring frequently, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes. Add onions and cook another 2 minutes. Stir in chili powder, cumin and garlic; cook stirring frequently until spices are fragrant, about 1 minute. Add mushrooms, tomatoes, beans and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer covered, about 10 minutes. Uncover, simmer until flavors are blended and sauce thickens, about 15 minutes. Serve with grated Monterey Jack cheese, shredded lettuce and sour-cream.

Yield: 6 portions

Araksya's tip: You can cut down the amount of chicken and mushrooms. To keep the portion, just add more beans. In the picture I have added broad beans with kidney beans. You can also use any kind of cheese you have.

Chakhobili - Armenian Chicken Onion Soup

You've got to give this a try. I guarantee that you'll like it!

3-4 pieces of chicken (any part)
3 onions quartered and then sliced
1 8oz can tomato sauce or puree
1 TB tomato paste
2 TB flour for thickening
2-3 TB oil (olive or canola or whatever you have)
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp dry basil
1 TB fresh or 1 tsp. dry parsley (I prefer the fresh one)
1-2 bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste

In a pot cover the chicken with water, add some salt and bay leaves and cook on the stove until chicken is cooked. Take the chicken out and save the broth. Shred the chicken and set aside.
Meanwhile in a medium saucepan heat oil over medium heat and add sliced onions by layering them and putting a pinch of salt on each layer. Don't stir the onions for about 10 minutes or until the bottom onions get browned, and then stir them until all of the onions are golden brown.
Add flour to the onions, stir to mix and then add paprika, basil, parsley and black pepper, tomato sauce and paste. Then add the shredded chicken and the broth to the onion mix. Bring to a boil and cook another 5 minutes or until thickened the way you prefer.


Yield: 6 servings

Vegetable 'Cake'

Ingredients

8 potatoes
10 carrots
5 beets
2 TB bell pepper chopped
1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
oil
1 TB parsley or cilantro finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste
1/8 tsp paprika
1/2 cup sour cream

Directions

Combine potatoes, carrots and beets in a big pot with water. Boil them until well cooked, then drain the water and let the veggies cool to manage to peel. Put the peeled vegetables in different bowls and mash them separately with a potato masher or a fork.
Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions until they are transparent, then add peppers and cook another minute or 2. To this add potatoes with paprika, parsley, salt & pepper. Mix them well and turn off the heat.
To the mashed carrots add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt and pepper and set aside.
Add 1/2 tablespoon olive oil, salt & pepper, parsley and garlic to the mashed beets.

Take a cake platter or a big plate and put the mashed potato mix on it and shape it into a round cake. Put 1/3 of the sour cream on top of potatoes and spread it like a frosting. Then put carrots on top and shape it into a smaller cake, then cover it with half of the remaining sour cream. Finally add the beets and form a smaller cake shape than the second layer and spread the rest of the sour cream on the sides and if you want you can also decorate the top with it. Finish it off with a sprinkle of parsley or cilantro.
You can serve this warm right away or chilled.

Serves 8-10 people.

Armenian Eggplant salad

1 eggplant – sliced into round rings
1 big tomato
1 red pepper
2 cloves garlic
2 Tb parsley
¼ tsp cumin
salt to taste
oil


Grind all the veggies and parsley together except eggplant rings. Cook the mixture. In a separate skillet fry eggplant in oil until golden brown. Add the eggplant into the tomato mixture and let it boil 2-3 minutes.

Serves as a side dish on rice, pasta or potatoes.

Serves 15 people.




Carrot and red pepper salad

6 carrots chopped
1 red pepper chopped
1 yellow onion chopped
½ cup oil
½ cup tomato sauce
1 TB parsley finely chopped
salt & pepper to taste



Boil chopped carrots in ¼ cup water until they are tender but not completely cooked (if you need you can add more water).
Sautee onions in hot oil until transparent, then add the rest of the ingredients to the skillet and cook until carrots are done to your liking.

Tip: This dish tastes the best after it's been chilled.

Serves 8