Recipe Catch Up - Week of 10/25 - Whole Grain Penne w/ Sweet Red Pepper, Ginger & Feta

I've done it again - I'm behind on my recipes! Although, I don't think I've done one every week here lately, so I might not be as behind as I think. This was my last recipe for October. I found a new cooking blog to follow, Prudence Pennywise. She has good recipes, and she focuses on things that are (relatively) inexpensive. Just a little warning - she has music playing (one of my pet peeves) - and you have to scroll all the way to the bottom to turn it off. So, if you're at work, and you don't want anyone to know you're not working, mute your speakers before you click the link! Then, do what I do and read the blog in a reader, so you don't have to deal with the music on a regular basis.

Anyway, I had some Feta cheese left over from our Greek wraps the previous week, and I'd starred this recipe in my Google Reader, so I decided to try it.

Whole Grain Penne with Sweet Red Pepper, Ginger and Feta
from Prudence Pennywise

Ingredients
8 oz. box Penne Pasta
4 green onions (greens only)
1 (14.5) ounce can Italian Style diced tomatoes (blended smooth in blender)
1 large red bell pepper
1 small handfull fresh parsley (save some for garnish)
4 Tbsp cream or half and half
2-4 Tbsp Feta - crumbled
2 Tbsp finely chopped ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
salt & pepper to taste


Directions
Heat the olive oil in a small, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Remove the top, seeds and membranes of the pepper and slice into thin strips. Toss them into the saucepan & let them soften on low-medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, peel and chop the ginger & garlic. Start cooking the pasta.

Add the ginger & garlic to the saucepan and saute for 2-3 minutes. Add the crushed tomatoes. Season with salt & pepper.

Chop 2 of the onions & add them to the sauce. Simmer on low heat, partially covered, for 5 minutes. Add 2-3 Tbsp of water if necessary to keep a sauce-like consistency.

Chop the parsley & add to the sauce. Let the sauce cook, partially covered for another 2-3 minutes, then remove from heat & set aside.

Plate the pasta, top with sauce and 1 Tbsp of cream per plate. Crumble 1/2 Tbsp of Feta on each plate. Garnish with parsley & serve.

The Photo

The Verdict
As you can see from the photo, I added far more than 1/2 Tbsp of cheese. What can I say? We love cheese. I also do not remember blending the tomatoes in the blender. From the photo, it doesn't look like I did. I don't think it mattered much. We honestly did not get much of a ginger flavor, but the ginger I used had been in the freezer for a while.

Since Alec isn't a huge fan of completely vegetarian meals, I cut a couple of chicken breasts into bite-sized pieces and sauteed them, then added them to the sauce.

Overall, though, we liked it and I want to make it again. I bought some ginger for this week's recipe, so maybe if I don't use it all, I will try this one again next week.