Chicken Penne Pasta with Broiled Greek Vegetables

So I have not been cooking much this summer. It has something to do with the weather, and the heat, but I have not had the urge to be in the kitchen very much! The other day, I needed to run to the store to grab some laundry detergent, and decided I wanted to make something delicious for dinner! I had no idea what to make, but a Greek Salad was sounding pretty darn great at that moment. However, if you are like me a salad does not suffice as my meal. I need some substance in there. So I started to think about all the toppings on a Greek Salad, but only tossed into pasta. It was GENIUS! I was not sure how to make it or what all I needed so I just started grabbing veggies that seemed "Greek" and that were multitudes of the rainbow so that it would look pretty on the plate. Then I realized I needed salty pickled things like Olives, Feta Cheese, Balsamic dressing, and marinated artichoke hearts. Here is what I came up with, and I HIGHLY encourage you to try this dish...it is AMAZING!!!!!

{INGREDIENTS}

{noodles}

1 pound - Penne Noodles, cooked

Salt to Taste for Boiling Water

---

{meat}

2 - Chicken Breasts, sliced

2 tbsp - Olive Oil

3 Garlic Cloves

----

{veggies}

1/2 bottle - Balsamic Vinaigrette Dressing (reserve half for veggies and half for tossing at end)

1/2 Med. Red Onion, chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

1/2 Red Pepper, chopped

2 Roma Tomatoes, chopped

1 Medium Zuccini, chopped

1 Med. Yellow Squash, chopped

----

{toppings}

1 Feta Cheese Chunk, crumbled well

6oz jar - Marinated Artichoke Hearts

8oz jar - Kalamata Olives

{DIRECTIONS}

First thing first, is getting the water to boil for your noodles. While the water in boiling, set the oven to broil and the rack in the upper middle position. Since the noodles can go into the mix at any time, it is OK if they finish before everything else. Once noodles have come to a boil and are al dente, drain and set aside.

While the noodles are boiling it is a good time to get the veggies covered in half of the Balsamic Vinaigrette that you have set aside. The oven should be heated by now. Place the veggies on a Broil-safe dish, and let them brown and broil for about 15 to 20 minutes. I would check about every 5 minutes on them to make sure that everything is cooking correctly, and to turn them.

The next thing you need to get done is cooking up the chicken that you have pre sliced. Over medium heat on the stove, saute the chicken with the olive oil and garlic. 

Once it has fully cooked, toss it into the pan with the drained noodles. I would recommend using a large pot to mix all the ingredients together, because once you add all the veggies, you are looking at a very large amount of pasta. You should now have tossed the chicken and pasta together, and just be waiting on the veggies to complete their cooking in the oven.

I added the Artichoke Hearts and Kalamata Olives as well, to get those salty juices from the juices to absorb into the noodles and meat. DO NOT pour the artichoke hearts into the mix, carefully get them out of the jar and throw away the oil that they are marinating in. However, with the Kalamata Olives, you can pour some of the vinegary olive juice into the mix. I would just pour a little and taste until you feel there is enough of a tangy kick. The rest of the olive juice can be tossed alone with all of the artichoke juice. 

Once the veggies have completely cooked and are al dente, you can toss everything into the chicken and pasta. Make sure you add all of the juices and balsamic that cooks out into the pasta.

Pour the other half of the Balsamic Vinaigrette onto all of the mix, and toss well. Finally, the best part, is to toss in the Feta Cheese that you have crumbled well, and toss once more. The dish is now complete and ready to enjoy! One of the best things about this meal is that it is fabulous hot or cold. I ate it for lunch today cold, and it tasted just as great, almost like a Greek Pasta Salad!!!

Hope you enjoy & Bon Appetit!

Pâte Brisée Spiced Apple Pie with Heart Cutouts

In lieu of Memorial Day, what is more American than Apple Pie? I thought I would share a recipe that I found from Martha Stewart for an amazing Pâte Brisée Spiced Apple Pie with Heart Cutouts. You can not go wrong with any recipe by Martha, so here it goes:

So first of all, you are probably wondering what Pâte Brisée is. Simply put, it is a light flaky pastry dough that in French literally means "short dough." Like a short bread, it contains a VERY high ratio of fat to flour, making it VERY delicious. If you are going to learn to make one pastry dough this is the one to make, because it is incredibly versatile, simple, and divine - cracking the myth that pie dough is difficult to make. Here is the simple step by step:

Pâte Brisée Ingredients (Makes enough for 1 double-crust, or 2 single 9-inch pies):

2 3/4 cups All-Purpose Flour

1 1/2 tsp Coarse Sea Salt

1 tbsp Granulated Sugar

2 1/4 Sticks (18 tbsp) COLD Unsalted Butter, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

8 tbsp Ice Cold Water

Pâte Brisée Directions:

Important things to remember: To ensure a flaky crust, chill the butter AND the flour before using. Work quickly so that the butter remains cold.

1.) Mix the Flour, Salt, and Sugar in a stand mixer, until well mixed. Add the Butter, and continue to mix until coarse crumbs form, which takes about 10 seconds.

2.) With the stand mixer still running, add the Ice Water in a slow, steady stream just until dough holds together and is not wet or sticky. This should take no longer than 30 seconds.

3.) Divide the dough into two portions, and shape each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate AT LEAST one hour or overnight.

Spiced Apple Pie with Heart Cutouts Ingredients:

The Pâte Brisée that you made

4 pounds Granny Smith Apples

1 tbsp Lemon Zest, Finely Grated

2 tsp Fresh Lemon Juice

3/4 cup Packed Light-Brown Sugar

1/4 cup Granulated Sugar

1/4 cup All-Purpose Flour, plus more for Dusting

1 tsp Coarse Salt

1 tsp Ground Cinnamon

1 tsp Fresh Grated Nutmeg

3 tbsp Cold Unsalted Butter, cut into small pieces

1 large Egg Yolk

1 tbsp Heavy Cream

Fine sanding Sugar, for sprinkling

Spiced Apple Pie with Heart Cutouts Directions:

1.) Pre-Heat oven to 400 degrees, with rack in the middle positions. On a lightly floured work space, roll one of the Pâte Brisée disks that you previously made, to 1/8" thick. Then, fit into a 9" deep dish pie plate, and refrigerate for one hour.

2.) Peel and Core the Apples. Thinly slice the apples, and cut remaining apples into 1 inch pieces.

3.) Toss together the Apples, Lemon Zest and Juice, Sugars, Flour, Salt, Cinnamon, and Nutmeg in a large bowl. Place the filling in the pie crust, mounding it in the center. Dot with Butter.

4.) Roll remaining disk of Pâte Brisée to 1/8" thick. Using a heart shaped cookie cutter, cut dough, and start placing in a clockwise motion starting around the crust of the pie. You really can use any type of cookie cutter that you like, and think would make the pie look attractive. Layer the Pâte Brisée over the filling, working in a spiral from the outside into the center, overlapping them slightly.

5.) To make the Egg Wash, you will need to whisk the Cream and Egg Yolk. Once you have covered the entire top of the pie with the cutouts, you will want to lightly brush the pie top and crust with the egg wash you have prepared. (This is going to give it a glossy and crispier appearance on the outside once cooked.) Sprinkle the sanding sugar on the top for an extra treat!

6.) Place pie on middle rack, and bake until crust begins to turn golden brown, which takes about 25 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees, and bake until crust is golden brown and the juices are bubbling (about 1 hour & 10 minutes more). If crust begins to brown to quickly, you can tent with foil to help it not burn.

Serve & Bon Appétit!

Also, if you were looking for a dish to bake this pie in, Macy's has a cute "Bake for the Cause" pie dish. Pretty in pink, this cute 9” pie dish gives you good cause to bake - 10% of every purchase goes to breast cancer research. Featuring a classic scalloped, wavy rim and a warm pink color, the dish is almost as inviting as the pie inside. Constructed of durable Burgundy clay, the same material Emile Henry has been using for over 150 years, the strong glaze allows bakers to cut into the pie dish without scratching or marring the surface.

Roasted Asparagus & Shrimp Alfredo over Pappardelle Noodles

So this recipe was not found in the box, but was discovered by putting together the things I love...butter, noodles, asparagus, shrimp & more butter!

There are a few different steps that are involved when make this so here are the official list of ingredients:

Alfredo Cream Sauce:

1-1/2 cups Heavy Cream (Best-quality at Room Temp)

4 tbsp Sweet Butter (Best-quality at Room Temp)

1-1/2 cups Parmagiano Reggiano

1 pound Fresh-Cut Pappardelle Noodles

Sauteed Shrimp:

1 pound Key West Pink Shrimp (peeled & deveined)

2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 tbsp Lemon Juice

5 Garlic Cloves

Roasted Asparagus:

1 pound Asparagus

1/4 cup Italian Bread Crumbs

1 tbsp Olive Oil

Salt & Pepper to Taste

The first thing that needs to be done is prepping the Asparagus. Pre-heat the oven to 425 degrees and placed rack in middle of the oven. To prep the asparagus break the ends off where they naturally break, then snap in half. Rinse the asparagus thoroughly and pat dry with a paper towel. Once dry, place in a glass baking dish toss the olive oil on them with tongs, and sprinkle half of the bread crumbs onto the asparagus, and toss once more until fully coated. Then crack fresh salt & pepper to taste, and add the remaining bread crumbs onto the top. Put aside until the Shrimp is done sautéing.

The next item on the list is sautéing the shrimp. On medium temperature heat the olive oil and lemon juice. Have the shrimp prepared & ready to be placed in the pan. Once the mixture is hot, carefully place the shrimp in without burning yourself with oil splatter. Crack some fresh salt and pepper on to the shrimp & toss until they are pink & not overcooked. The tails can be left on while cooking. Scoop the shrimp out of the pan, and put in a heat safe bowl while the rest of the meal is being cooked. The remaining olive oil and lemon juice reserve should be kept because we are going to use this for the base of the alfredo sauce!

The oven should NOW be heated to 425 degrees. Place the Asparagus on the middle shelf & cook for 7-12 minutes or until the asparagus is still slightly crunchy. While these are cooking we can begin the Noodles & alfredo sauce.

First start a pot of rapid boiling water with salt for the noodles. If you are able to get Fresh Pappardelle noodles, they only take about 2 minutes to cook al dente. So be very aware about the status of the noodles. Take the pan that you sauteed the shrimp in and use the reserve of the oil & lemon juice for the alfredo sauce. Place the butter in the pan over medium low heat. Let it melt & add the cream, let the two heat and continually stir. Once the cream is heated place the Parmagiano Reggiano cheese and let it completely melt into the cream and butter.

The noodles by this point should be done, strained, and ready to be tossed into the Alfredo cream sauce. Mix the noodles & cream sauce together until they are fully blended. The asparagus should be done as well.

Now is the fun part...plating this delectable dish! You can do it one of two ways. The first, is tossing the noodles with the cream sauce, shrimp, and asparagus and then serving it. My particular favorite way, for presentation sake is taking the noodles first, then placing a slew of asparagus on top & then the shrimp next to it.

I can promise that this dish WILL NOT disappoint any crowd you feed it too...in fact my mouth is watering just talking about it!

Thanks for reading my post for Roasted Asparagus & Shrimp Alfredo over Pappardelle Noodles! If you have any suggestions, comments, or tips for the recipe, please let me know! I would love to try it out!

Bonjour!

Thank you for dropping by, Cooking Through Lost Recipes!

My name is Anna Kate, and I recently decided to create a blog about my cooking experiences through an old recipe box that was unearthed in an estate sale!

The recipes are dated to pre-1940s, and sound delicious! Please, keep up to date to see these old recipes come back to life! I will be posting pictures of the cooking process as well as the completed project!!!

I hope you enjoy this wonderful style of timeless cooking!

Bon Appetit!

Anna Kate