Recipe for tonnarelli with Dungeness crab

Holiday season making you crabby in the kitchen? Then have we got the easy crustacean-based dinner for you to cook at home.

Chef Brian Clevenger of Vendemmia, Haymaker, and other acclaimed local Italian-leaning restaurants has shared his recipe for a tonnarelli dish with Dungeness crab, fennel, and chives. It’s both merry and bright.

If you’re feeling ambition, Brian included instructions on making the pasta from scratch. But if you just want to skip that step, you can order fresh tonnarelli for $4 per package and pick it up at any of the chef’s General Harvest spots.

Making the pasta

Ingredients:

• 4 cups semolina flour
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 8 egg yolks
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup warm water
• 3 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 tablespoon salt

Instructions:

1. Combine all dry ingredients in mixing bowl.
2. In a separate bowl add egg yolks, whole eggs, half of the warm water and olive oil.
3. On low speed in the electric mixer, combine dry ingredients with dough hook — or, if mixing by hand, use a fork to combine.
4. Slowly add in egg, water, and oil mixture. Add remaining warm water slowly until dough begins to form (it may not need the entire amount).
5. Remove from bowl and fold dough over itself using your palms until a tight ball forms.
6. Wrap dough ball in plastic, refrigerate for at least 45 minutes prior to using.
7. When ready to make the pasta, roll the dough into thick sheets (a little under an 1/8 in) — then cut long strings through whatever pasta machine you have. Watch how it’s done by an Italian nonna.

Tonnarelli with Dungeness crab

Ingredients (makes two servings):

• 10 oz. fresh pasta
• 3 oz. Dungeness crab
• 1/2 fennel bulb (diced)
• 0.5 oz. chives (cut small)
• 1 fresh lemon
• 1 tablespoon crème fraiche
• 1 tablespoon pulugra butter (unsalted)
• Black pepper, salt, and pasta water

Instructions:

1. Boil salted water in a large pot.
2. Add pasta and cook for 2 minutes. In a separate pan on medium; heat butter.
3. Once melted, sauté diced fennel.
4. Add pasta, 2 oz. pasta water and cook for another 1-2 minutes on high heat.
5. Stir in the crab, zest of the entire lemon, crème fraiche, and chives.
6. Season with salt, pepper, and lemon juice.