Pasta With Grilled Vegetables And Feta Food

GRILLED LAMB BURGERS WITH GRILLED FETA PASTA SALAD

Steps:

• For the burgers: combine the lamb, garlic, coriander, cumin, smoked paprika, 1/2 teaspoon salt and several grinds of pepper in a medium bowl. Mix well with your hands and form into two 4-inch patties. Season the patties lightly with salt and pepper. Wrap each patty individually in plastic wrap and pack in a cooler or store in the refrigerator.
• For the pasta salad: Bring salted water to boil in a large pot. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions until al dente. Drain and rinse under cold water until cooled. Pat dry and pack in a container with a lid, making sure it is large enough to also fit the vegetables in the salad. Add to the cooler or store in the refrigerator.
• Preheat a small grill to medium-high heat and brush with olive oil. Brush the feta, scallions, eggplant, bell pepper and zucchini with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the feta and vegetables to the grill. Cook the feta until charred and slightly softened, turning once, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a cutting board. Grill the vegetables, turning once, until charred and cooked through, 2 minutes for the scallions and 8 to 10 minutes for the eggplant, zucchini and bell pepper. Transfer to the cutting board. Coarsely chop the feta and vegetables and add to the container with the pasta. Drizzle with the Greek dressing and tear the basil leaves over top. Toss and let sit to develop the flavors while you grill the burgers.
• Brush the grill with oil again and add the burgers and onions. Grill until the underside of the burgers is well charred, about 4 minutes. Flip and cook until the second side is charred, 4 to 5 minutes for medium doneness. (For well-done burgers, cook about 6 minutes per side.) Cook the onions until charred and floppy, about 3 minutes per side. Toast the cut sides of the buns on the grill during the final minute.
• To serve, spread the tzatziki on the top and bottom of the buns. Add some onions and a lettuce leaf each. Top with the burgers and bun tops. Toss the pasta salad once more and serve.

GRILLED VEGGIE AND ORZO SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the orzo according to package directions. Drain and set aside.
• Add the dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/2 cup of the olive oil to a large bowl. Whisk to combine, then add all the prepped vegetables. Toss the vegetables to coat them in the marinade.
• Heat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Once the pan is heated, add the vegetables in batches, being sure to keep them in a single layer and not to overcrowd the pan. Grill until the vegetables have nice char marks and are beginning to soften, 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the vegetables and cook for an additional 2 to 3 minutes. Remove to a rimmed baking sheet. Keep grilling until all the vegetables are cooked. Cool slightly, then cut the vegetables into small bite size pieces. Save any leftover marinade to build the dressing for the salad.
• To the serving bowl with the leftover marinade from the vegetables, add the lemon zest, lemon juice, Dijon mustard, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon pepper and the remaining 1/4 cup olive oil. Whisk to combine. Add the cooked orzo and the chopped grilled vegetables and toss to combine. Add the feta, parsley and dill and toss again. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve immediately or keep at room temperature until ready to serve.

PENNE PASTA WITH FETA AND SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Cook pasta in boiling salted water until al dente. Drain with a little olive oil.
• Heat olive oil in a frying pan add garlic, zucchini and both capsicums and stir over high
• heat for 2-3 mins or until vegetables are tender.
• Add tomatoes and cook for a further 30 seconds.
• Stir in feta cheese, olives and thyme.
• Cook 1 minute more and season to taste.
• Toss vegetable/cheese mixture through the pasta and garnish with chopped herbs.

PASTA WITH GRILLED SUMMER VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Light a charcoal fire. Grill the peppers whole until the skin is charred on all sides. Remove and place in a paper bag. Close the bag and let the peppers cool. Cut the peppers in half and remove the seeds. Peel the skin and slice the peppers into thin strips.
• Meanwhile, slice the summer squash and eggplant in thin strips, lengthwise. Brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill on both sides until lightly browned. Cut plum tomatoes in half and grill skin side down until lightly browned and barely soft. Slice onions in rings, brush with oil and grill until browned.
• Bring six quarts salted water to a boil. Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet. Add the tomatoes, garlic and thyme and cook for a few minutes until they start to form a sauce. When the vegetables are cool enough to handle, cut them in thin strips. Add them to the sauce and simmer for about five minutes. Meanwhile, cook the pasta until al dente. Drain and toss with the vegetables. Season and garnish with the basil leaves, snipped into strips with a pair of scissors. Serve the cheese separately.

BAKED FETA PASTA WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine grape tomatoes, asparagus, zucchini, onion, bell pepper, and corn kernels in a baking dish large enough to accommodate all vegetables. Drizzle generously with olive oil and sprinkle with pepper flakes as well as a hit of salt and pepper. Toss to coat and make a well in the center of the dish. Place feta blocks in the well and drizzle with more olive oil. Season feta with salt, pepper, and a pinch of pepper flakes. Nestle thyme sprigs into the veggies around the dish.
• Bake uncovered in the preheated oven until vegetables are soft and feta is lightly browned, about 40 minutes.
• When the vegetables and feta have cooked for 25 minutes, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook rigatoni in the boiling water, stirring occasionally until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Set aside.
• When the vegetables and feta are finished cooking, turn the broiler to 500 degrees F (260 degrees C) and broil vegetables for 1 minute for some final browning.
• Squeeze lemon over vegetables and feta and stir in fresh parsley. Stir in rigatoni and reserved pasta water to help feta coat pasta evenly. Season with salt and pepper as needed and sprinkle with Pecorino Romano cheese.

SEASIDE PASTA WITH VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Prepare pasta following package instructions.
• Preheat large saute pan on medium-high 2-3 minutes. Place oil in pan. Season salmon with salt; cook 1-2 minutes on each side or until browned.
• Add garlic, tomatoes, broccoli, and broth; cook and stir 3-4 minutes or until salmon separates easily with a fork. Cut salmon into small bite-size pieces.
• Add pasta, lemon juice and zest, feta, dill, and red pepper flakes; toss to combine. Serve.

ORZO PASTA SALAD WITH GRILLED CONFETTI VEGETABLES AND FETA

Steps:

• In a large pot, bring about 4 cups of salted water to a boil. Add orzo pasta and cook according to package directions, about 6-8 minutes, until al dente (firm to the bite). Drain and rinse under cold water. Let orzo sit in colander to drain well. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with about 2 tsp (5 ml) olive oil to prevent sticking. Set aside.
• In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, oregano, lemon juice, lemon peel, salt and pepper until well combined. Set aside.
• Preheat a barbeque or grill to medium-high heat. Brush zucchini strips and yellow pepper with a little olive oil. Place these, along with corn, on barbeque and grill for 4-5 minutes on each side until grill marks appear and vegetables are tender. Remove and set aside on a baking tray to cool. Once cool, cut the kernels off of the corn husks (there should be about 2 cups) and chop the zucchini and yellow peppers into ½-inch (1 cm) pieces.
• To the orzo pasta, add the zucchini, yellow pepper, corn, cherry tomatoes, feta and pine nuts. Drizzle over lemon vinaigrette and toss gently to combine. Garnish with torn basil leaves.
• In a hurry? Chop zucchini and yellow pepper into ½-inch dice. Place in large bowl along with cherry tomatoes and 1 cup corn (canned). Toss with 1 tbsp olive oil and season the vegetables with salt and pepper. Spread evenly onto a baking sheet. Bake until lightly browned, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool to room temperature and then toss with orzo salad as above.