You MADE that?!?

I love to eat and love to cook on special occasions.  But now that I am home with the kids I feel obligated to cook almost every night.  So I'm always on the lookout for delicious easy/quick recipes {i.e., does not require chopping up 10 different ingredients}.  

This recipe fits the bill, it's delicious and it tastes much more fancy than it is.  The feta adds a nice twist and the secret ingredient is the cinnamon.  I had no idea that cinnamon could create this flavor {cinnamon and lamb? trust me you will like it}.  You can add your own twist to it as well.  I prefer rotini pasta to penne and instead of parsnips, I use portabello mushrooms.  Love it.  But anyway you slice it, this is a dish that is sure to impress anyone you make it for.
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Greek-Style Penne with Lamb, Parsnips, Tomatoes, and Cinnamon
Bon Appétit | November 2009
by The Bon Appétit Test Kitchen
Pasta in the Greek style, with an added surprise: parsnips.
Yield: Makes 6 servings
Active Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 very large onion, halved through root end, cut lengthwise into 1/3-inch-thick slices (about 4 cups)
12 ounces medium parsnips (about 4), peeled, cut on slight diagonal into 1/4-inch-thick slices
4 garlic cloves, minced
8 ounces ground lamb
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
2 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice
12 ounces penne
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
Crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and parsnips and sauté until slightly softened and deep golden brown around edges, about 9 minutes. Add garlic; stir 1 minute. Add lamb and sautéuntil no longer pink, breaking up with back of spoon, about 2 minutes. Stir in cinnamon. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Add tomatoes with juice; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover, and simmer until parsnips are tender, about 12 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Meanwhile, cook pasta in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain, reserving 1 cup cooking liquid. Return pasta to pot. Add lamb mixture and enough cooking liquid to moisten; toss. Add parsley. Transfer to plates and sprinkle with feta.

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