Artichoke and Crab Pizza

Ever since my little brother told me a few months ago that he makes the best home made pizza sauce and dough I have been excited to try them out.  And then last week while he was visiting I was finally able to.  The sauce he makes is absolutely fantastic...it involves roasting tomatoes and garlic for hours and then pureeing them with olive oil and I don't know what else.  Unfortunately it's his secret recipe and he didn't let me know what it was:(  But the crust is from the Joy of Cooking Cookbook and is super easy to make and really delicious.  Pizza is just so much better when the dough is freshly made.  I like a thin crust so we stretched it out quite a bit and were able to get 3 medium sized pizzas out of it.  It was perfect, and the outer crust didn't get all dried out.  My bro, hubby, and I each put different toppings on our pizzas, and I'm pretty sure mine was the best.  They just had outrageous toppings like pepperoni *gasp!* and green peppers.  I went with a different combination...

I had a small jar of artichokes at home, so it got me thinking of my favourite dip, artichoke and spinach, which got me thinking of crab dip, and the toppings just went from there.  The artichokes, spinach, crab, and red onion were superb together.  And I had some crab left over which I added to the cheese mixture in my cheese wontons, which turned out really well.  And now onto the recipe, because if I think about this pizza anymore I will have to make another!

 



 

Artichoke and Crab Pizza

 

1/2 of the pizza dough from the recipe below

1 small can pizza sauce (or make your own!)

1 6oz. jar of artichoke hearts, rinsed and chopped

1/2 cup grated mozzarella cheese

1 can of crab meat

1/4 cup cooked spinach, chopped and drained well (about 1 1/2 cups before cooking)

2-4 tbsp finely diced red onions

1/4 cup finely diced yellow and/or orange peppers



 

Preheat oven to 450F.  Sprinkle a baking sheet with cornmeal.  Roll and stretch the dough into the size and shape of pizza wanted and put on the baking sheet.  Spread desired amount of sauce over dough.  Place artichoke pieces over the sauce and then cover pizza with mozzarella cheese.  Top cheese with the remaining ingredients, evenly covering the pizza.  Bake for 10-12 minutes on middle rack, or until crust begins to brown.  Broil for 1-2 minutes at end to turn cheese golden and bubbly.  Let cool for a minute before cutting and enjoying! Yummmm!

 

Pizza Dough Recipe

 

1 pkg (2 1/4 tsp) active dry yeast

1 1/3 cups warm water

3 1/2  to 3 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1 tbsp olive oil + 1 tsp for coating bowl

1 tsp salt

1 tbsp sugar, if desired (sugar makes a puffier crust)

 

Sprinkle yeast into the water in a large bowl and let stand 5-10 minutes until yeast is dissolved and foaming.

Mix in the remaining ingredients until it's all holding together (start with less flour and add more if needed).  Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 10 minutes.  Dough will be smooth and elastic when done.

Coat a large bowl with remaining oil and place the dough in it, turning it so that oil coats the whole dough ball.  Cover with a clean dishtowel and let rise for an hour and a half in a warm place.  Dough should double in volume.

Punch the dough (best part!) and divide it in half, forming 2 balls.  Lightly cover the balls and let rise for an additional 15 minutes to 24 hours.  (If letting it rise for a long period leave it in the fridge and take it out about 15 minutes prior to using.) *My brother made the dough the night before so it was ready for dinner the next day.*

Roll out the dough balls, top with your favourite sauce and toppings, and bake at 450F for 10-12 minutes.

 



Veggie Quesadillas

Toasty tortillas holding together a delicious blend of cheese, vegetables, and salsa, with more salsa, sour cream, and guacamole to dip...what could be better?  This is definitely comfort food.  Really though, anything with oozy, melty cheese on it becomes comfort food in my book.  Especially when avocados enter the mix!  I love the taste of these veggie quesadillas even more than the traditional chicken ones.  I like the crunch that the vegetables add, and although I make mine without chicken you can definitely add some to these.  Mmm, these really are delicious!

Veggie Quesadillas
(makes 4 small)

8 small flour tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup finely diced bell peppers (any colour... I like orange or yellow)
1/3 cup finely chopped broccoli
1/3 cup finely chopped cauliflower
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup salsa
1 avocado
1 tbsp lime juice
1/4 tsp chili pepper flakes
1/2 cup sour cream

Heat olive oil in a large pan over med-high heat and cook broccoli, cauliflower, and peppers for about 5 minutes.  Vegetables should be cooked, but still slightly crunchy. 
Sprinkle half of the cheese on 4 tortillas.  Divide the cooked vegetables between the 4 tortillas, spreading around to cover cheese.  Top the vegetables with a tablespoon or two of salsa, keeping the remaining salsa for dip.  Use the rest of the cheese to sprinkle over the layer of salsa, and then top with the remaining tortillas.  Cook them in a frying pan over medium heat for about 3 minutes a side, or until tortillas turn golden brown and get crispy. 
Mash the avocado, lime juice, and chili flakes together to make a simple guacamole.  Serve the quesadillas with the remaining salsa, sour cream, and guacamole on the side.  Enjoy!

Polenta and Ricotta Stacks with Vegetables

I really enjoy eating polenta, but as good as it always is in restaurants, I never know what to do with it at home.  Luckily, while searching for a recipe to use up my ricotta with, I came across a recipe similar to this one.  It seemed like a great way to cook some polenta and use the ricotta cheese I had.  The recipe I found had ground turkey in it though, and I wanted to make a vegetarian version.  I also wanted to use the zucchini and tomatoes I had in the fridge, so I made a few changes to the recipe.  It was an easy dish to make and it was a nice, light, summery dinner when served with some baby greens on the side. 



Polenta and Ricotta Stacks with Vegetables

1prepared polenta log (found in the rice/pasta area of grocery stores)

1 tbsp butter

1 350g container of ricotta cheese

1 cup baby spinach

2 Roma tomatoes, finely diced

1 small zucchini, finely diced

1/2 yellow pepper, finely diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 tbsp finely chopped fresh basil

1 tsp grated lemon zest

1/2 tsp ground black pepper

1/2 cup grated Swiss or Mozzarella cheese



Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the polenta log into 8 1 inch-thick slices.  Melt butter over med-high heat in large frying pan and fry polenta slices for about 4 minutes per side, or until browned.  Place the slices in a baking dish.  Using the same frying pan stir-fry the zucchini, pepper, and garlic for about 3 minutes.  Add the tomatoes and cook for about a minute more. 

Mix the ricotta cheese with the basil, lemon zest, and black pepper.  Top each of the polenta slices with some baby spinach.  Divide the ricotta mixture evenly between the 8 slices, spreading it out to cover the spinach.  Place a large spoonful of the vegetable mixture on each of the slices and then cover each one with grated cheese.  Bake for 6-8 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.  Enjoy!