Handmade Pesto Pasta

I’m calling this pasta handmade instead of homemade for a couple of reasons, which I’ll spell out for ya.1. The last recipe I posted for corn bagels had “homemade” right in the title. I feel like it’d be a bit boring to use the same word here even though it would technically apply.

2. Since this from-scratch pasta doesn’t any fancy-schmancy kitchen tools or tough-to-do techniques, all we truly need are our two hands. Sure, a rolling pin and pizza cutter could come in handy, but if the craving for pasta is so strong and you find yourself without these two items, go ahead and MacGyver it.

Did anyone else have the hots for Richard Dean Anderson or was it just me and my oldest sister?

Just us? Okay. Good thing I no longer own those shoes I scribbled I ❤ Richard Dean Anderson on.

Let’s put the past behind us and look ahead – to pasta! I’m going to level with you guys right now and let you know I’m not really a pasta person.

I’ve actually been known to say that I’d happily go without pasta for the rest of my life.

If I listen closely enough, I can actually hear you gasping. At the risk of sounding like those stupid posters you see everywhere online – and no where in real life – keep calm and continue reading.

I’ve officially changed my stance on pasta now that I’ve had handmade.

Not to knock store bought pasta, but this stuff’s got it beat. Big time.

In fact, I’m not even sure it falls in the same category. The texture is unlike anything I’ve ever boiled up from a box. Fresh and fluffy is how it was described on the website where I found this recipe – and it was indeed both fresh and fluffy.

Dana – the major babe behind Minimalist Baker – delivered.

Coolest thing about this recipe? It’s completely customizable. No pesto in your pantry? You could use pureed pumpkin, or for plain pasta – add in an extra egg and another yolk instead.

Easy peasy pasta.

Um, I just typed “panty” instead of “pantry” up there. Here’s to proofreading and picking up what even spell check won’t catch before I published this post.

Crisis averted and sticking to the theme of customize-ability, toppings and sauce are entirely up to you, too. Marinara, more pesto or even alfredo – the options are endless.

Wanna know what’s not endless? This recipe’s ridiculously quick cooking time.

All it takes is a minute or two and you’ve got yourself a meal.

I’m not talking about the “minute or two” I tell Eric I need to get ready that in reality translates to fifteen or twenty.

The time frame we’re working within here is a minute minimum to two minute maximum. #miracle

With all the possible combos one could come up with, I bet you’re wondering how I rounded out my plate full of pasta. At least, I hope you are because I’m about to tell you about it.

As soon as it went into the strainer, I tossed some spinach in the hot pot where the pasta once was.

Brie tested, Popeye approved.

Then, I got a little crazy with some sweet lemon butter sauce. Crazy in the same sense that going to Bed, Bath and Beyond constitutes a big day, but come on. It’s me we’re talking about here.

I may be boring, but I’ll give you bonus points if you name the movie I so subtly referenced right there.

slightly adapted from Minimalist Baker
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes (active), 30 minutes (inactive)
Cook Time: 1-2 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups white whole wheat flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 egg + 2 egg yolks
3 tablespoons prepared pesto
1/4 cup water

Directions:

Add flour and salt to a food processor and pulse. Then add in two egg yolks and 1 whole egg, and the pumpkin puree. Pulse until well combined. Then drizzle in water until a dough forms.

Transfer to a very lightly floured surface, sprinkle top with a little flour, and cover with plastic wrap. Set aside for 30 minutes to rest.

While it’s resting, bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt generously.

Roll dough out into a loose rectangle, sprinkling on only as much flour as it takes to keep it from sticking. More flour = a less flavorful, tender pasta. Also, the pasta will want to stick to the rolling pin – simply use one hand to hold it down while you use the other to roll.

Once the dough is nearly paper thin, cut it into any shape you want. You can even leave it in a solid sheet if you’d like. I used a pizza cutter to cut mine into fettuccini-sized strips.

Cover with plastic wrap until ready to cook. Add pasta to boiling water and stir just to make sure they don’t stick together. It should only take 1-2 minutes to cook.

Drain and transfer either back to your pot or directly to serving plate. Top with more pesto and parmesan cheese, toss with your favorite tomato sauce, or try this sweet lemon butter sauce.

So, yeah. I’ve ended my embargo against pasta.

Cheesy Spinach & Artichoke Pizza

I seem particularly paralyzed by my cravings lately. Like, can’t sleep, can’t think straight kind of crave.

Before you guys get the wrong idea, allow me to squash all the baby rumors before they even start. There’s no bun in my oven. There’s just a pan full of Cheesy Spinach & Artichoke pizza – and that’s perfectly fine by me.

This pizza pretty much piggybacks off the dip craving I’ve been dealing with.

Pizza + spinach & artichoke dip = problem solved.

Solutions to all life’s problems should taste this good. Sigh.

Added bonus alert! I was even able to improve upon my original craving since I made an entire meal out of it instead of a mere appetizer.

I don’t know if anyone out there suffers from eater’s remorse like moi, but I can only imagine how badly I’d beat myself up for having just dip for dinner. For whatever reason, piling a topping that could double as dip high up on pizza dough rights any irrational wrong.

Please don’t question or judge my questionable judgement.

Instead, come along with me on this ridiculously delicious journey. It starts with some sauteed shallots, garlic and spinach.

Of course, if you don’t happen to have any shallots on hand, go ahead and use an onion. See if I care!

I’d say we’re off to a good start, wouldn’t you?

While everyone’s getting to know each other in a skillet on the stove top, prepare the culinary partner in crime to your spinach.

Ah, artichokes. You’re a funky little veg. I love heart though.

Ahem.

That bad pun probably lost me a couple readers. For those of you still here – I’m sorry – and thank you.

Weird factoid about me and artichoke hearts? Whenever I add them to my shopping list, I spell out artichoke and then draw a tiny, pluralized heart.

Like so: artichoke ♥s

Some call it super lame. I call it supermarket shorthand 🙂

I ♥ this pizza. With all my ♥.

slightly adapted from How Sweet Eats
Yield: 1 pizza
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30-35 minutes

Ingredients:
1 recipe Foolproof Pizza Dough (or a 16 oz. ball of store bought dough)
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 shallot, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 (8 ounce) bag of fresh spinach
1 (14 ounce) can of artichoke hearts (5-7 count)
2/3 cup part-skim ricotta cheese
8 ounces freshly grated muenster cheese
a healthy sprinkle of parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Ingredients:
Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Drain artichokes and press with a paper towel to reduce some of the moisture. Roughly chop, pressing with a towel again, then place in a bowl. Add ricotta cheese.

Heat a large skillet over medium low heat and add 1 teaspoon olive oil. Add in shallot with a pinch of salt and cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes. Add in garlic and spinach, tossing to coat and cooking until spinach is wilted. Transfer spinach mixture to the bowl with artichokes and ricotta, then add salt and pepper. Stir to combine.

Shape your pizza dough on a prepared pan (I coat with nonstick cooking spray and corn meal) and then spread spinach ricotta mixture evenly over top. Cover with parmesan and muenster cheeses. Bake for 25-30 minutes with the rack on the lowest position in your oven so that the crust can crisp up.

Then, carefully move the pan to the upper rack in the oven and broil until the crust and the cheese are nicely browned and bubbly. Keep the oven door slightly open and a watchful eye on everything, as it can easily burn.

I have a feeling this craving of mine is going to keep reoccurring. Look’s like this recipe will be on repeat.

Pesto Pizza with Spinach, Mushrooms & Caramelized Onions

Then there’s the feta cheese. I didn’t forget about the feta – I just didn’t want the length of this pizza name to scare you away. Plus, I know how some of you out there feel about feta. If it really does offend you in any way (i.e. remind you of feet) just leave it off. In this recipe though, while it would still be perfectly delicious without it – the salty goodness of the feta is the perfect compliment to the sweetness of all the caramelized onions.

It’s like peanut butter and jelly. Weekends and relaxing. Macklemore and Ryan Lewis. You guys don’t mind if I go on a mini Macklemore tangent, do you? No? Didn’t think so. Macklemore is the man. Do I have a celebrity crush on him? Nope. Do I want to dance every time I hear “White Walls?” The answer is a big, fat, booty bouncing yes. Doesn’t matter if I’m sitting in traffic, running on the treadmill or at my desk at work – I can’t help it. Above and beyond the danceability of his beats, he actually seems like a decent dude and there aren’t a slew of celebrities I can confidently say that about.

Miley Cyrus? Here’s lookin’ at you, kid. Someday, in a time not far from now – you’ll look back at what you were doing (and wearing) in 2013 and realize you look like a grade A a-hole. I’m not talking about when you’re an old lady…I’m referring to when you’re, like, 28.

And for the record – 28 does not an old lady make. Trust me, I know. Back to Macklemore. I was hanging around the house on Saturday morning when Eric called me into the living room – he knows I’m a fan a figured I’d be interested to know that Macklemore’s Big Surprise was airing on E! The episode was an hour long and since I have the attention span of a toddler, I didn’t watch the whole thing, but what I did see was nothing short of inspiring. Macklemore and his fiancée – an absolutely adorable blonde named Tricia who came off on camera as equally kind as she is beautiful – surprised Tricia’s mother with a whole home makeover. It was a total transformation – inside and out – that they managed to make happen in just 72 hours.

Oh – and they paid off her mortgage. So, yeah…there’s that. I’m not sure if it’s because the hubs and I are homeowners now – with a mortgage of our own – but I found myself ugly crying into my coffee cup. The thought of that gesture alone is enough to get me emotional, but witnessing it with my own two, teary eyes – seeing someone’s life changed in an instant – was awesome in every sense of the word.

The best part was that Macklemore’s future mother-in-law, Diana, could not have been more gracious. After she saw the makeover and everyone who helped along the way, she said that her home was just “bouncing with good karma.” Love. This. Lady.  Okay, so I know I didn’t talk at all about this pizza, but we did enough pizza talkin’ in my last post. Some of you may feel this defeats the purpose of a food blog, but to me, this departure took precedence. It’s not everyday you see something so good on TV.

Honey Boo Boo ain’t got nothin’ on Ben Haggerty.

Yield: One large pizza (serves 4 hungry people)
Hands On Time: 15-20 minutes
Baking Time: 12-14 minutes
Ingredients:
1 recipe Foolproof Pizza Dough (or a 16 oz. ball of store bought dough)
1 sweet onion, thinly sliced
1/2 tablespoon brown sugar
8 ounces white mushrooms, sliced
4 ounces spinach
1/4 cup-1/3 prepared pesto (I use Classico), more or less depending on personal preference
6 ounces cup feta, crumbled
4 ounces muenster (or other melty cheese, like mozzarella), shredded

Directions:
Lightly grease a large pan cookie sheet of your choice and then sprinkle cornmeal evenly over the entire surface. The spray keeps the pizza from sticking; the cornmeal gives the crust great flavor and crunch. Place the dough on the prepared pan. Press it over the bottom of the pan, stretching it towards the edges. Your goal is to get the dough to fill the pan as fully as possible. If it keeps shrinking up on you, cover the dough with plastic wrap or a clean dish cloth and walk away for a few minutes – then come back and try again.

Preheat the oven to 450°F and prep your toppings so you can assemble everything.

Melt a bit of butter in a large skillet over medium heat – add onions and after a minute or two, the brown sugar. Allow everything to cook down and get caramelized, which should take fifteen minutes or so. Add the mushrooms and let those soften up for another couple minutes before adding your spinach. While it’ll look like a lot of spinach at first, this will cook down quickly it heats up. Once it’s wilted, turn off the burner and set skillet aside.

To top your pizza, start by spreading a layer of pesto on the dough, but be sure to leave an edge all the way around. Since the spinach and other vegetables will have given off some liquid, use a slotted spoon to remove the veggie mix from your skillet. Scatter feta crumbles around and on top of the veggies and then sprinkle on the muenster or mozzarella.

Bake the pizza on the lower oven rack till it just begins to brown around the edge of the crust. This will take about 8 minutes for thinner crust pizza; about 10 to 12 minutes for medium thickness; and 12 to 14 minutes for thick-crust pizza. Move the pan to the upper rack in the oven and broil until the crust and the cheese are nicely browned and bubbly (feta won’t melt like mozzarella). Keep the oven door slightly open and a watchful eye on everything, as it can easily burn.

Remove the pizza from the oven, and transfer it from the pan to a rack to cool slightly before serving. I’m hoping that all you invisible internet friends out there have a great weekend and that you do two things: make this pizza and watch Macklemore’s Big Surprise.

Just consider yourself warned about the ugly cry – it could happen to you, too.

Update: I watched the episode in its entirety last night…and cried all over again. One of my favorite details I missed the first go ’round was that on their first date, Tricia made Macklemore an amazing sandwich and that she’s been cooking for him ever since.

That whole things about men, hearts and stomachs? I swear, there’s some truth to that.