Talin’s Mouth-watering 2 Layer Penne Lasagna

I know you are probably thinking Penne Lasagna? I’ve made that possible. Who says that you always need to put Lasagna dough sheets to make Lasagna? Not to me. As long as you have Pasta Noodles of any kind that is large to mid size. I am not saying the Acini De Peppe, Orzo, and small noodles you use for soup and all that. I am saying Penne, Spaghetti, even Rotini. I have tried, tested and tasted. It is delicious! Well, let’s get started.

Depending on the number of people that you are serving in your family or your friends. It is in your preference.
This is for a family or friends of 4 or 5.

You will need:

– 900g of Penne Rigate Package (depends on your pan size as well and number of people)
– **Onions or Garlic are Optional. (It is your choice)**
– Oregano
– Basil
– Tomato Paste
– Tomato’s
– Mozzarella Cheese
– Parmesan Cheese
– Cottage Cheese
– Extra Lean Ground Beef
– Sea Salt – (Never use table salt) **To your added preference**
– Grinded Black cracked Pepper
– All Spice

To begin:

1) Mash the extra Lean Ground beef into small pieces, cook it well done in a pan. That is where you will add just the Tomato Paste and Sea Salt. add about 4tblsp full of tomato paste and 1 and a half tsp of sea salt. (Add water, but not too much) You do not want your Lasagna to be Soggy. Add just enough to mix the tomato paste with them together.

2) In a separate small mixing bowl add 1 tbsp Oregano, as well as Basil, and all spice – Mix them together

3) Wash and Slice 4 fresh tomato’s – use Tomato on a Vine or Roma Tomatoes. put them aside.

4) In a mixing bowl add the grated Mozzarella Cheese and Cottage cheese. Mix it together.

To make the Penne:

1) Make sure you put a little more than half a large pot of water

2) Boil the water and put Sea Salt and as soon as it boils, add the Penne. (Never put any kind of noodles in a non-boiled water, it will stick to the bottom of the pot and stick to the other noodles)

3) Immediately stir the Penne so that all the noodles will become tender evenly and keep mixing ever 2-3 minutes. Let it boil on medium heat for about 10 minutes. If it needs more time, then go to about 11-12 minutes. MAX. (Do not overcook and make it mushy. Take it out while it’s al dente)

4) Drain and set aside to make 2 equal parts of the Penne Rigate, but first Mix the ground beef/tomato paste mix with the penne before Parting them. Add the Oregano, Basil and All spice mix with them as well.
In a Medium to Large Pyrex Pan:

1) Add cooking oil spray to the whole pan.

2) Add the first layer of the Penne and even it out.

3) Add the cheese mix – then Put Parmesan Cheese

4) Add the layer of the Tomato’s

– **for the Last layer – Repeat Steps 2-4 but add #4 first, then #3– Add the Parmesan Cheese last.

—————————–

Oven Settings:

– Bring the Oven to Convection – to 375 degrees before you put the Lasagna in.

– Let it cook for 30 Minutes

and there you have it.
Penne Lasagna. Bon Appetit! Enjoy!

Talin’s Special Pomegranate Vegetable Salad

Pomegranates are one of my favourite fruits to eat and pomegranates can be used in so many ways as juices, a snack, salads and so much more. Pomegranates Originated from Armenia. Even though the Apricot is Armenia’s National fruit, but Pomegranates are equivalent to that. Pomegranates have so much nutrients and health benefits. You can get them at your local grocery store or specialty grocery stores. They are lovely fruits and I like them a lot. Well, here is how you make Talin’s Pomegranate Vegetable Salad.

You will need:

– 1 Red Onion – Chopped into Salad Size…

– 1 or 2 Romaine Lettuce – the full thing —- depends on how many people will be having salad.. Wash the romaine lettuce

– 2-3 Pomegranates — take the red seeds out — first before doing so, wash the pomegranate from the outside….

– Washed 1 Green Pepper — chop into salad size pieces.

– Half of a Cucumber or a whole one — Washed and chopped  into salad size pieces.

– 1 or 2 tomato’s on a vine — washed and chopped into salad sized pieces.

– 2 or 3 Celery Sticks WASHED. Chopped into elbow macaroni like pieces but slightly bigger…..

– 2 Lemons washed skin — Squeezed  ————— Mix this with the 2 ingredients below:

– 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

– 2-3 sprinkles of SEA SALT

—- Optional — You can put Feta Cheese, A little Cracked black pepper, Black Olives…

*****Remember to wash all your ingredients very well and discard the ends.******

To Prepare:

Just incorporate all the salad ingredients into a big salad bowl, then add the pomegranate seeds on top then the Lemon Olive Oil juice, then toss and mix the salad very well until all the ingredients incorporate with each other and there you have it. A HEALTHY SALAD.

Enjoy!!!!

Talin’s Special Pomegranate Vegetable Salad

Pomegranates are one of my favourite fruits to eat and pomegranates can be used in so many ways as juices, a snack, salads and so much more. Pomegranates Originated from Armenia. Even though the Apricot is Armenia’s National fruit, but Pomegranates are equivalent to that. Pomegranates have so much nutrients and health benefits. You can get them at your local grocery store or specialty grocery stores. They are lovely fruits and I like them a lot. Well, here is how you make Talin’s Pomegranate Vegetable Salad.

You will need:

– 1 Red Onion – Chopped into Salad Size…

– 1 or 2 Romaine Lettuce – the full thing —- depends on how many people will be having salad.. Wash the romaine lettuce

– 2-3 Pomegranates — take the red seeds out — first before doing so, wash the pomegranate from the outside….

– Washed 1 Green Pepper — chop into salad size pieces.

– Half of a Cucumber or a whole one — Washed and chopped  into salad size pieces.

– 1 or 2 tomato’s on a vine — washed and chopped into salad sized pieces.

– 2 or 3 Celery Sticks WASHED. Chopped into elbow macaroni like pieces but slightly bigger…..

– 2 Lemons washed skin — Squeezed  ————— Mix this with the 2 ingredients below:

– 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

– 2-3 sprinkles of SEA SALT

—- Optional — You can put Feta Cheese, A little Cracked black pepper, Black Olives…

*****Remember to wash all your ingredients very well and discard the ends.******

To Prepare:

Just incorporate all the salad ingredients into a big salad bowl, then add the pomegranate seeds on top then the Lemon Olive Oil juice, then toss and mix the salad very well until all the ingredients incorporate with each other and there you have it. A HEALTHY SALAD.

Enjoy!!!!

Armenian Pizza — Laghmajoun – MesaShod – Armenian Style

Hello All, this is my last Delicious week recipe.

 

Armenian Pizza 🙂

 

Enjoy the recipe

 

Printed from THEGUTSYGOURMET.NET

INGREDIENTS: Makes 10-12

 

Dough:**See Note

• 1 teaspoon active dry yeast

• ½ tsp sugar

• ½ cup lukewarm water

• 3 cups all purpose white flour

• ½ tsp salt

• 1 tablespoon olive oil

** NOTE: You can use medium sized fluffy flour tortillas and skip the dough making. Be sure when

you bake the lahmajoon/lahmacun, that you oil the baking sheet when you bake them.

 

Topping:

• olive oil for the brushing the dough before the topping

• 1 tablespoon butter

• 2 cloves crushed garlic

• 1 large onion, grated

• 1 tomato skinned and chopped – put tomato in a deep bowl and cover with boiling water for 2

minutes, remove and peel. Leave seeds and juice with the tomato, do not discard.

• salt to taste

• 1 – 2 teaspoons sugar

• 12-16 oz ground lamb – can use 85% fat ground beef.

• 2 tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 tsp red pepper flakes

• 1 large lemon, juice of

• 1 green bell pepper, finely diced

• 1 pickled Jalapeno pepper finely chopped

• 1 cup flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

• 1 cup fresh spearmint, finely chopped

• 1 tsp. cumin

• 1 tsp. paprika

 

MAKING THE DOUGH:

** NOTE: You can use medium sized fluffy flour tortillas and skip the doughmaking. Be sure when you bake the lahmajoon/lahmacun,

that you oil the baking sheet when you bake them.

 

In a small bowl mix yeast and the sugar. Add 1/2 cup of warm water, stir well, cover the bowl. Keep the mixture in a warm place

for about 15 minutes to full activate the yeast.

 

Add the yeast mixture to the remaining flour and water. Knead well until the dough is soft and smooth.

 

Place the dough in a large oiled bowl, cover and let sit in a warm area of your kitchen for 1 hour or until the dough has doubled

in size.

 

Take the dough out and punch down. Divide the dough into 10-12 balls just slightly smaller than a tennis ball. Roll and set aside

on a floured surface and cover with a damp towel. Set the oven at 450º F.

 

MAKING THE TOPPING:

Add the onion, garlic and butter to a skillet and sautè until translucent. Take off the stove and let cool.

 

Take all your prepared vegetables and place them all in a large bowl. If you have a food processor, this would be the time to

give all the vegetables a few pulses to get them all into a fine spreadable size. DO NOT PROCESS TO AN UNIDENTIFIABLE MUSH!

 

Add pepper flakes, salt, sugar, paprika, cumin and lemon juice into a large bowl with the other ingredients and mix well by hand

until you have well mixed, spreadable topping.

 

Take balls of dough and roll into a round, circle or an oval measuring up to 1/16 to 1/8 inches in thickness. Place on a baking

sheet that has been oiled with olive oil, canola oil or cooking spray. Brush each round with olive oil (Extra Virgin is best). Top

with 2-3 tablespoons of the topping and spread the topping very thinly. Make sure you have an even layer.

 

Each baking sheet will hold two lahmajoon/lahmacun. You should have 3 or 4 baking sheets to keep things moving. Keep your

eye on the sheets in the oven to make sure they bake evenly. You may have to move things around the oven.The oven should

remain at 450°F – not too high and not too low. Since you are going to be constantly opening the oven, the temperature ideally

will stay between 400º F and 350ºF. Cooked Lahmajoon/Lahmacuns are crispy at the edges and pliable in the center. You can

stack your finished lahmajoon/lahmacun topping side to topping side and bottom to bottom. Cover them with a damp towel to

keep them from getting too brittle.

 

You are now ready to fill them with fresh parsley, cucumber slices, sweet onion slices or other fresh veggies and a drizzle of

lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil, roll them up and enjoy these Anatolian delights.

Armenian Cheese Boreg

Hi Everyone,Tomorrow will be the last of my Middle Eastern Armenian Recipes week, then I will resume to the regular blogging. Enjoy the last 2 recipes of today and tomorrow.

A phyllo dough turnover filled with cheese and parsley and baked to a golden brown. Similar to the Greek Spanakopita, but a bit more cheesy and lighter in texture. They can be served hot or at room temperature Like many Mediterranean and Middle Eastern recipes, the phyllo dough co-stars with the feta cheese to make this a spectacular snack. The packaged phyllo dough available today makes recipes like this a cinch, compared to the exhausting and time consuming drudgery of rolling out sheets and sheets of tissue paper-thin phyllo dough.

RECIPE PRINTED FROM: THEGUTSYGOURMET.NET©

INGREDIENTS: Makes 2 dozen

●   ½ pound, or more,  butter melted,  or better yet Clarified Butter.

●   Purchase 1 box phyllo dough at your supermarket (Athens or Apollo brands are the best).  You will
     need the whole box.

FILLING: 
●  1½ lbs. Jack cheese,  or ricotta,  or Armenian or Greek (Feta) cheese. Mix or take your choice.  Feta is
    the most authentic.  I like to mix feta and jack cheese ½ and ½.
●  1 cup chopped Armenian or Italian parsley,  Flat leafed.
●  2 eggs [beaten well]
●  ½ teaspoon salt
●  ½ teaspoon white pepper
●  Mix the above ingredients for the filling

DIRECTIONS: 

1.  Preheat oven to 400°F

2. Cut your phyllo dough sheets into 4 inch wide strips and the length of the longest dimension of the
    sheet of phyllo.

3. Brush a strip with butter and place another strip on top of that strip.  Butter that strip and add
    another until you have stacked 4 buttered strips.  

4. Place a tablespoon(s) of filling on the end of the strip and fold over the end into a triangle.  Now as
    you would fold a flag,  fold the filling and strip into a successions of triangular folds until you reach
    the end.  Brush butter on both sides and place on a baking sheet.  Do this until all the phyllo or the
    filling is used up.  Should come out pretty close to even and approximately two dozen triangular
    turn-overs..**SEE COOK'S NOTES**

5. Bake the cheese boreg triangles in a 400°F oven for approximately 20-25 minutes until they are
    golden brown.

6. As soon as they are cool enough to handle,  serve as an appetizer or a side dish

**COOK'S NOTES** 
1.  If you only need a dozen, you can now put a tray full in the freezer and freeze.  When frozen,  you
     can store them in your freezer in plastic zip-lock® bags and bake them,  without thawing,  at a later
     date.

The Best Of Montreal – Restaurants

Hi Everyone, I could not take up on the opportunity to talk about my Happy Place today. I love Montreal so much. I want to talk to you about the best of Montreal from Restaurants and More. Montreal, Quebec is known for its amazing food and gigantic portions at most of the restaurants around the city and in Laval, Quebec too! Now, if you have not been able to go to Montreal, I suggest you make that into your travel list. There is so much about Montreal, that I need to discuss with you today. I want to first introduce to you the best restaurants in Laval, Montreal. It’s where Montreal Steak Spice is from, Smoked Meats, Poutine, Quebec Cheese, Laughing Cow Cheese,They are a must go!

Montreal’s Incredible and Delicious Restaurants & Dessert places:

Middle Eastern, Armenian —- Montreal and Laval have so many middle eastern and Armenian restaurants which are so awesome from Karoun (Ka-ROON), Chef Kebab, Lordia, Arouch(which has 4 locations, but the St-Martin in Laval is the best one out of them all which has Armenian Pizza, and Thyme Zakhtar and Cheese AND pepper paste breads which are incredible), Cafe Avec Vert Gouin, Princessa, Amir(Best one is on Boul L’acadie), Cafe Depot, Coktail Antabli which is a dessert place on L’acadie, Tango in Laval, which is in Centropolis which is dessert and ice scream place as well. Marouch is an incredible place for breakfast from the middle east and Armenian,  there is also Rouby, Al Balad, Lahmajoun(Armenian Pizza), Lahmajoun Sevan, Seta Lahmajoun, Broadway Cheese cake, B-sweet, Mozza, and a lot of Armenian and Middle Eastern Bakeries across Montreal…

Greek places —- Casa Grecque, Vieux Duluth, Arahova, Greek place at St Anne Du Belle Vue, and more.

Quebec’s finest —- Boccacinos, Schwartz Montreal Smoked Meat, Poutine, La Belle Province, Scores, Presse Cafe, Casse Croute, Galleria which serves breakfast and lunch open until 4pm. Delicious place… Deli Chenoys, Houston, Madisons, Elixir, Chez Cora,

There are so many tasty restaurants and I have been to them all and more. I am your Montreal Laval Specialist. Let me know of what I can help you with, during your Montreal stay….

Have fun!

 

Talin’s Pomegranate Vegetable Salad

Pomegranates are one of my favourite fruits to eat and pomegranates can be used in so many ways as juices, a snack, salads and so much more. Pomegranates Originated from Armenia. Even though the Apricot is Armenia’s National fruit, but Pomegranates are equivalent to that. Pomegranates have so much nutrients and health benefits. You can get them at your local grocery store or specialty grocery stores. They are lovely fruits and I like them a lot. Well, here is how you make Talin’s Pomegranate Vegetable Salad.

You will need:

– 1 Red Onion – Chopped into Salad Size…

– 1 or 2 Romaine Lettuce – the full thing —- depends on how many people will be having salad.. Wash the romaine lettuce

– 2-3 Pomegranates — take the red seeds out — first before doing so, wash the pomegranate from the outside….

– Washed 1 Green Pepper — chop into salad size pieces.

– Half of a Cucumber or a whole one — Washed and chopped  into salad size pieces.

– 1 or 2 tomato’s on a vine — washed and chopped into salad sized pieces.

– 2 or 3 Celery Sticks WASHED. Chopped into elbow macaroni like pieces but slightly bigger…..

– 2 Lemons washed skin — Squeezed  ————— Mix this with the 2 ingredients below:

– 2 tablespoons of Olive Oil

– 2-3 sprinkles of SEA SALT

—- Optional — You can put Feta Cheese, A little Cracked black pepper, Black Olives…

*****Remember to wash all your ingedients very well and discard the ends.******

To Prepare:

Just incorporate all the salad ingredients into a big salad bowl, then add the pomegranate seeds on top then the Lemon Olive Oil juice, then toss and mix the salad very well until all the ingredients incorporate with each other and there you have it. A HEALTHY SALAD.

Enjoy!!!!