It's just better when you make it all from scratch.  The sauce recipe is my own.
Pasta

4 eggs
3 1/2 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-3 tablespoons of water 

Mix the eggs with the flat beater on speed 2 of a Kitchen-Aid mixer while you measure out the flour.   Add all of the other ingredients and mix for about 30 seconds until the consistency thickens.  Switch to the dough hook and mix on speed 2 until a ball forms, about two minutes.  I have always had to add more water to establish this consistency.  Remove the dough and knead by hand for 2 minutes.  The dough will be firm but should not be sticky.  Cover the pasta with a paper towel and allow the dough to rest for 20 minutes.

Sauce


2 28 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 bulb of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of tomato paste
2 tablespoons of Italian seasonings 
1 teaspoon of dried basil 
1-3 teaspoons of crushed red pepper flakes (depending on your taste)
2 teaspoons of fresh black pepper
1 teaspoon of Kosher salt 

In a dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the garlic, salt, pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes and cook for two minutes.  Add the tomatoes with the juices, tomato paste, and herbs and cook for at least 15 minutes, partially covered, on low heat.

Putting it all together

While the sauce simmers, process the dough with the pasta attachments.  Allow a pot of salted water to come to a boil while you work with the pasta.  Cut the dough into fourths. With the roller attachment on the first setting and the speed on 2, run the pasta through about three times, folding it in half each time.  Then roll it though on the second, third, and fourth settings at least once.  Cut the pasta in half if it becomes too long (usually by the time it has gone through the roller on the second setting).  Always cover the pasta with paper towels to avoid them from drying, and never allow them to overlap because they will stick together.  (You can, however, layer them as long as they are on paper towels).  Finally, cut the pasta with the wide noddle attachment and allow them to drape over a large bowl.  Add the pasta to the water as fast as you can and quickly separate them with a spaghetti utensil.  Cook until the noodles float, only about 2-3 minutes.  Add the pasta to the sauce and toss.  Serve immediately with fresh Parmesan.  
 
This is my first post in a while!  Matt has been away on medical rotations so I have definitely been cooking less and I've been making some meals I've already posted.  I won't be posting at all this week but hope to get back on track soon after that!


We wanted something very light for dinner tonight so we turned to the dinner salad chapter of Eating Well in a Hurry.  (I love this book by the way!)  This tastes so fresh - I love the combination of cilantro, lime juice, red onion,  and fresh corn!  We used romaine lettuce instead of cabbage.
INGREDIENTS
  • 3 large ears of corn, husked
  • 1/3 cup pine nuts
  • 1/4 cup lime juice
  • 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed
  • 2 cups shredded red cabbage, (see Tip)
  • 1 large tomato, diced
  • 1/2 cup minced red onion

PREPARATION
  1. Bring 1 inch of water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add corn, cover and cook until just tender, about 3 minutes. When cool enough to handle, cut the kernels from the cobs using a sharp knife.
  2. Meanwhile, place pine nuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat and cook, stirring, until fragrant and lightly browned, 2 to 4 minutes.
  3. Whisk lime juice, oil, cilantro, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add the corn, pine nuts, beans, cabbage, tomato and onion; toss to coat. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
 
This is my version of Bottoms Up Pizza's Chesapeake.  (Bottoms Up has just about the best pizza I've ever eaten and it's located here in Richmond.)  For this version, I wanted to use a healthy whole grain crust.  The crust definitely took a while to make.  You could certainly use any crust you'd like including one pre-made from the grocery store.  By the way, Trader Joe's has a delicious whole wheat pizza that's very cheap and easy to work with.  For the crab, I used jumbo lump meat and it was definitely worth it.  I think you could use pasteurized meat or raw; it really wouldn't make a difference though you would get more flavor with unpasteurized crab.
Sources: 
Crust - America's Test Kitchen Healthy Family Cookbook adapted for use with stand mixer.  Many of the hints and tips are from this source.
Sauce - yummly.com


Crab Pizza

1 pizza crust (see the recipe below for the one I made)
1 large white onion, cut in half and sliced thin (I left them in rings) 
1 tablespoon of brown sugar
3/4 - 1 cup of white Parmesan cheese sauce (see recipe below)
8 oz (1 1/2 cup) of Monteray Jack cheese 
8 oz jumbo lump crab meat 
Old Bay Seasoning 
Extra virgin olive oil


Preheat oven and pizza stone to 425 F.  

Heat a large skillet with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil over low-medium heat.  Add the onion and the brown sugar.  Cook until caramelized,  15- 20 minutes.

Place pizza crust on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  (If the dough is falling apart, you can wrap it around your rolling pin, transfer it to the sheet, and unroll it).  

Brush the edges with olive oil around the whole circumference (about 1/2 inch from edge).  Pour on sauce and spread over the entire crust, leaving 1/2 inch uncovered.  Pile on onions, half of the cheese, and the crab.  Sprinkle generously with Old Bay.  Add remaining cheese and sprinkle with Old Bay again.  

Carefully transfer the parchment paper with pizza on it to the baking stone and bake 10-12 minutes until the cheese is melted, crab is cooked, and the bottom of the crust is just brown.  If you do not have a stone you may bake on a baking sheet.   The parchment paper will brown while baking but will not even be hot when you take it out of the oven.  

Transfer the paper with pizza on it to a cutting board, slice, and serve with cold beer!

Multigrain Pizza Dough
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup seven grain hot cereal mix 
1 cup bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 envelope of yeast
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 tablespoons of olive oil


Stir cereal and water together.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let stand for about 30 minutes or until cereal is just warm so that it will activate the yeast. 


Mix all dry ingredients together.  Add in cereal and pour oil over it.  With the dough hook, mix for about 30 seconds.  Allow dough to rest for two minutes, then knead until a ball of dough forms.  Transfer to greased bowl and allow it to rest for 1 - 1 1/2 hours or until it has doubled in size.


When ready, roll out on floured surface to 12- 14 inches in circumference, about 1/4 inch thick.  

Parmesan White Pizza Sauce

1 tbsp butter (margarine)
1 onion (chopped 12 cup)
1 garlic clove (finely chopped)
1 tbsp all-purpose flour
12 cup chicken broth
13 cup milk
1 tsp basil leaves (dried)
14 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In 1-quart saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Cook onion and garlic in butter about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until soft. Stir in flour until blended.

Gradually stir in broth, milk and basil. Cook about 3 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened. Remove from heat; stir in cheese.
 
What do you do when you have too much basil?  Make this!  What's better than fresh basil, organic tomatoes, and salty mozz?  This makes a TON of food and takes only minutes.  Perfect for a pot luck or summer picnic.
Source: butteryum.blogpost.com

3/4 pound cooked, drained, and cooled pasta (elbows or other shape)
1/2 pound diced ripe tomatoes
1/2 pound diced fresh mozzarella
1/4 cup vinaigrette
lots of fresh basil, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
(optional additions that I sometimes add - sliced black olives, sun-dried tomatoes, artichoke hearts)

Mix ingredients together and serve.
Easy and delicious!

Note - use a serrated knife to easily cut both the tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella. So much easier than using a standard knife.