I’ve made a change to how I bake pizza. I used to assemble it on a sheet of parchment and slide the parchment onto the pizza stone, but I’ve heard that the paper keeps the crust from getting as crisp as it should because it traps steam, so now I sprinkle a LOT of cornmeal on a cookie sheet…

put all the toppings on…

then slide the dough directly onto the stone. Because of the cornmeal it doesn’t stick at all, and the crust ends up perfectly crisp every time. Plus there’s no paper to throw away. Yay.

To get it out of the oven, you just slide a cookie sheet under the cooked crust and pull it out.

I really am not picky when it comes to pizza… especially these days that I’m a human vacuum (pregnancy + marathon training = an appetite that doesn’t quit), but this pizza is definitely a step above the average cheese pizza. The second time I tried it, I mixed some chopped spinach mixed into the sauce, but it’s absolutely perfect just as written. I didn’t change the recipe too mcuh, but I did use blended cottage cheese in place of heavy cream because I happened to have it in the fridge (and I guess it makes it a TINY bit healthier, but come on, there are 3 different kinds of cheese in action here so healthy obviously isn’t the first concern). I also used dried thyme and oregano instead of fresh, and skipped the scallions.

It definitely goes well with red pepper flakes (lots of them!)

Aaaaand look what appeared pretty much overnight. I’m 17 weeks and 1 day, and all of the sudden I actually look like I have a bump! I think it’s time to start taking weekly pictures now…
Now I’m kind of scared how big I’ll be in 3 weeks when I’m running Boston, but I guess I’ll just have to do my best! I did my 20 mile run yesterday and I’m officially in taper mode. SOOO EXCITED!

Recipe:
(adapted from Cooks Illustrated via Pink Parsley)

makes 2 pizzas

dough for 2 10″ pizzas (I usually use this recipe)

sauce
1/2 cup part-skim ricotta
2 Tbs olive oil
2 Tbs heavy cream (or pureed cottage cheese – it sounds strange but it works)
1/2 large egg yolk
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch nutmeg
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme

topping
1 cup shredded whole milk mozzarella
1/2 cup finely shredded parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven with a pizza stone in it (if you have one) to 500 F.

Stir together all sauce ingredients and set aside.

Make sure your dough is at room temperature. Sprinkle a few tablespoons of cornmeal on a rimless cookie sheet and shape half the dough into a 10-inch circle. Gently set it on the cornmeal, then spread with half the sauce. Shake the pan to make sure the crust isn’t sticking, and add a little cornmeal if needed.

Sprinkle some mozzarella and parmesan over the sauce, then slide the pizza onto the stone (or bake on the cookie sheet if you don’t have a pizza stone). Bake for about 10-12 minutes, or until the cheese is brown and bubbly. Cool for at least 5 minutes before cutting into slices. Repeat with remaining dough, sauce, and cheese.

Our Jamie Oliver cookbooks have been getting a lot of use lately, and with good reason. He’s got such a great approach to food, particularly pasta! I used to think I was tired of Italian food, but his recipes just keep proving me wrong. Sometimes he can be a little heavy-handed with the butter and cream, but it’s easy to scale those back a little bit.

I was a little skeptical about baking ricotta cheese, but it makes it firm and creamy and a little more solid than it is right out of the container. I made fresh pasta for this because I’m now completely obsessed with it, but of course you can use dried if you want to. Taste your sauce before you add any sugar, because some brands of canned tomatoes already taste pretty sweet.

Recipe:
1 15-ounce container ricotta (I used part-skim), drained in a cheesecloth-lined strainer for a few hours
2 tbsp olive oil, divided
salt and pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes in juice
3 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp sugar (if needed)
1 pound wide pasta, such as pappardelle
a handful of fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan

After you’ve drained the ricotta, preheat the oven to 400F. Put a piece of parchment on a baking sheet and put the ricotta in the center. Flatten it so you have a 1″ thick disk.
Rub all over with 1 tbsp olive oil, then sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for about 15 minutes, then remove and set aside.
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil to cook the pasta.
Heat the other tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and cook over medium until soft, 3 or 4 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and simmer for about 15 minutes, then crush the tomatoes with a spoon. Taste and add sugar (optional), salt, pepper, and balsamic vinegar.
When the pasta is cooked, drain and reserve some of the pasta water.
Toss the cooked with the sauce and a tablespoon or two of pasta water and the tomato sauce, and basil. Crumble up the ricotta and add to the pasta with the parmesan cheese.

As tempted as I was to eat all my homemade ricotta by the spoonful, I wanted to figure out a recipe that would really let it shine. I’ve made ricotta-stuffed tomatoes before, but this time I decided to make them a little heartier by mixing cooked millet and ricotta in a one to one ratio, with some garlic and basil for flavor.

If you’re trying to eat more whole grains but can’t stomach a big plate of them, this is a great way to sneak them in. Millet is really easy to cook (just boil 2.5 cups of water with a pinch of salt, stir in 1 cup of rinsed millet, and simmer for about 25 minutes with the lid on, then fluff with a fork), and is a good source of some key nutrients, including magnesium.

I used dried herbs because I can’t find fresh, but I think the flavor would be a lot brighter using fresh basil and oregano. This is a great place to use sub-par tomatoes, because the time in the oven helps concentrate their flavor, so even if they’re slightly under-ripe (like most tomatoes I find in Korea are), they’ll taste pretty good!

Recipe:
9 medium tomatoes
1 cup ricotta
1 cup cooked millet
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 egg
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
black pepper

Preheat the oven to 375 F.
Using a small, sharp knife, cut the top off each tomato. Carefully scrape out the flesh and seeds, so you’re left with a hollow cup.

In a medium bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients. Scoop a some of the filling into each tomato so it is full but not over-flowing.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are golden.

I was initially inspired by this post by David Lebovitz on Simply Recipes, but it took me some time to actually get around to trying it out.

After a little internet investigating, I found that the acid didn’t have to be vinegar… it just needed to be something that would make the milk curdle. Like lemon juice! And because I happened to have a lemon in the fridge but no white vinegar, that’s what I used. I also used low-fat yogurt, instead of full-fat as the recipe suggested, but it still turned out wonderfully.

I like the texture of this so much more than the store-bought stuff, which can sometimes be a little gummy. This is definitely not the last time I make this!

Recipe:
(adapted from Simply Recipes)
1 quart whole milk
1/2 cup plain yogurt (not fat-free)
juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp salt

Combine all ingredients in a sauce pan and bring to a low boil over medium heat. Boil for about 3 minutes, or until the milk is curdled. Remove from the heat and let stand for about 10 minutes.

Line a strainer with a few layers of cheese cloth and set it over a deep bowl. Pour the milk mixture into the strainer and let stand for about 10 minutes. Squeeze the cloth to remove excess moisture from the cheese, then store for up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Makes about 1 cup.