FARFALLE PASTA WITH MARINATED VEGETABLES

This pasta dish was inspired by all the flavors of an antipasti platter.  I know...totally an oxymoron since antipasti means without pasta; it's a crowd pleaser none the less, aaand it’s super simple to make.  Ya cook a box of pasta, dice some tomatoes & cheese, then just open up a bunch of jars and dump ‘em.  Okay, maybe don’t just dump the jars, but it’s almost that easy.  Farfalle Pasta with Marinated Vegetables can also sit out at room temperature and not poison any one; always important in a partaaay dish.  Oh yes I did…I said “partay”!

 Here’s what you do.

Farfalle pasta is the same as bow tie pasta.  All of the ingredients can be prepared while you are waiting for the pasta water to come to a boil.   I have olive oil in the pic but I ended up not using it, just pretend it's not there.

Be sure and get "marinated" artichoke hearts because you'll use the marinade in the pasta.

Drain the roasted red peppers and dice 'em up.  All of the vegetables will be diced into about 1/2 inch pieces. 

Cut the grape or cherry tomatoes in half.

Red onions give a nice bite to the pasta.

I had some pesto I had previously made in the freezer, but go ahead and use jarred pesto if that's what you have.

 When the pasta has cooked, drain it well, but don't rinse it.

Dice the artichoke hearts, and add them along with their marinade to the cooked, drained pasta.

Add the remaining vegetables, the roughly chopped olives and the pesto.  Give it a stir to be sure everything is incorporated.

By the time I add the cheese, the pasta has cooled a little.  That's good because I don't want the cheese to melt, I like the finding the nuggets of cheese in my pasta.

This pasta is loaded with veggies and cheese.  I chose to keep it vegetarian, but some cubes of salami would be a tasty addition.

FARFALLE PASTA WITH MARINATED VEGETABLES

Serves 8

1              box        Farfalle (bow tie) pasta; a box is 1 lb.

1              pint        Grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

½                          Large red onion, large dice

1-12          oz. jar    Marinated artichoke hearts, chopped into ½ inch pieces; use the hearts and the liquid

1-10          oz. jar    Roasted red peppers, drained and chopped into ½ inch pieces

1              cup        Pitted Kalamata olives, roughly chopped

¼             cup        Pesto sauce

16             oz.         Mozzarella cheese, diced into ½ inch cubes

                            Salt and pepper to taste

  1.        Cook the pasta according to the package directions.  Drain the cooked pasta well.

  2.       Toss the pasta with the tomatoes, onion, artichoke hearts, the marinade from the artichoke hearts, roasted peppers, olives and the pesto.  Mix well.

  3.    Toss the diced mozzarella in at the last.

  4.       Taste for seasoning, salt and pepper if necessary.

  5.       Serve warm or at room temperature.

*Note diced Salami would be a nice addition to this pasta.

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GREEK MINUTE STEAK (or Pork Cutlet) SANDWICH

As promised last post…The amazingly good Greek Minute Steak Sandwich! Please excuse the photo, I had beautifully and wonderfully assembled this sandwich and when I closed the top I realized that I had made the sandwich upside down!  I did my best to right my wrong, though it looks a bit of a mess, the taste of the sandwich is sooo on point (DDD fans know what I'm sayin').

I was inspired by the young fella who was checking me out at the grocery store.  Perhaps I should clarify that he was the cashier at the grocery store, unfortunately he was checking my groceries out, not me.  No the young fellas now call me “mam”; I’m not sure when that started happening, but now it’s the norm.  He looked at the cubed steak I was taking home with relish and asked if I was making sandwiches.  I told him I hadn’t made plans for my steak yet.  He wistfully told me that his mom always made sandwiches with that kind of meat, I’m not sure if he was wistful for his mom or the sandwich, but it got me to thinking.

Now a great sandwich can’t just be slapped together; it needs layer upon layer of flavor. 

The first layer of flavor is the grilling of the bread in the same pan that the meat was cooked in; not only does the bread get toasty, but it absorbs all kinds of flavor that the meat has left in the bottom of the pan. 

The second layer is a savory sandwich spread with Kalamata olives, and I also used some Greek yogurt to cut some of the fat.  

The third layer is some lettuce for freshness and texture.

 

The fourth layer is of course the meat, which is well seasoned.  I actually asked the butcher for cubed steak, and when I got home I realized that he had given me pork cutlets that were labeled beef.  Beef or pork is equally delish.  

The fifth layer is these sweet and succulent Roasted Grape Tomatoes. 

The final layer is creamy and salty Feta cheese, cuz no self-respective “Greek” sandwich would be without it!

This sandwich is a combination of sweet, salt, savory, creamy, and crispy which makes every bite absolute perfection!

Here’s what you do.

Cut the cubed (aka minute) steak or pork cutlets in half and season both sides with a little salt and pepper.

On a plate or a pie pan, mix 1/2 cup of flour with 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1/2 teaspoon of dried oregano, a pinch or salt and pepper.

Dredge the meat in the seasoned flour, shake off any excess flour.

Heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. 

Brown both sides of the meat, add a little more oil if necessary to keep the meat from sticking to the pan.

All of those bits in the bottom of the pan are yumminess!  Now you don't have to do this next step, but it adds another layer of flavor.  If needed add just a touch of oil to the pan...

...And then grill the inside of the bread in the pan.  The bread will toast, and absorb that flavor the meat left behind.

The Kalamata Olive Sandwich Spread goes together in just a couple of minutes, you can make it while the meat is cooking.  It starts with 1/3 cup of Greek yogurt and 1/3 cup of mayonnaise.

Add to that 1/2 cup of finely chopped Kalamata olives, 2 cloves of roasted garlic (or 1 clove of raw garlic), and two tablespoons of flat leaf parsley.

And give it a stir.  For this sandwich I like having bits of olives, but I may like it smooth for another sandwich; in that case I would blitz the ingredients in the mini food processor.

These are the beautiful ingredients.  Pan fried minute steak, French bread, lettuce, Roasted Grape Tomatoes, Feta cheese, and Kalamata Olive Sandwich Spread.

Layer the ingredients on the bread...

...For this delectable Greek Minute Steak Sandwich.  Hearty enough for dinner, or make a few to feed to a crowd.  It's sure to be a crowd pleaser!

GREEK MINUTE STEAK (or Pork Cutlet) SANDWICH

1              lb.           Cubed (minute) steak or pork cutlets; cut in half

                             Salt and pepper

½             cup         All-purpose flour

¼             tsp.         Garlic powder

½             tsp.         Dried oregano

3              Tbsp.        Olive oil

1                            Loaf French or Italian bread, sliced in half lengthwise

1              recipe      Roasted Grape Tomatoes

1              recipe      Kalamata Olive Sandwich Spread (recipe follows)

2              cups        Lettuce

3            oz.           Feta cheese, crumbled

  1.        Season both sides of the meat with a little salt and pepper.

  2.       In a shallow dish such as a pie plate, mix together the flour, garlic powder, oregano, a pinch of salt and pepper.

  3.       Dredge both sides of the meat in the seasoned flour, shake off the excess flour.

  4.       Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large skillet over medium high heat; add the meat to the hot skillet.  Brown the meat on both sides; you may need to add 1 more tablespoon of oil to the pan to keep the meat from sticking.

  5.       Remove the cooked meat from the pan.  Place the bread face side down into the skillet to toast just the inside of the bread; you may have to cut the loaf of bread in half to get it to fit in the skillet.  If the skillet is dry, add a touch more oil.

  6.       Spread the Kalamata Olive Sandwich Spread on both sides of the toasted bread, place some lettuce on the bottom piece of bread, lay the meat on top of the lettuce, top the meat with the Roasted Grape Tomatoes, and crumble the feta cheese over the tomatoes, place the top on the sandwich and enjoy!

*Note, jarred roasted red peppers would be a good substitution for the Roasted Grape Tomatoes.

KALAMATA SANDWICH SPREAD

1/3         cup         Plain Greek yogurt

1/3         cup         Mayonnaise

½           cup         Kalamata olives, pitted and finely chopped

1            clove       Garlic, minced (or 2 cloves of roasted garlic)

2            Tbsp.       Flat leaf parsley

  1.        Mix all the ingredients together in a medium bowl.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

*Note, for a smoother texture, use a food processor.

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