My manicotti history :)
I remember the first time I ever tried manicotti at Macaroni Grill - it was a little strange, actually and I was not a big fan of it - too much ricotta going on or something. But someone brought me a filled pasta dish (some kind of stuffed shells) after I had one of my babies (twins maybe?), and it was really good....
So I started trying filled pasta - occasionally. I tried shells and manicotti tubes. Neither was simple. It was aggravating to boil the noodles and then try to stuff them without them falling apart and breaking somewhere along the process. But I had found a filling I really liked - enough ricotta to be good, but not so much it was mushy.
Then, I noticed a box in the freezer section of the grocery store "Crepe Manicotti" - then I realized - ooh! That would be so much easier! Like a burrito - just roll it up. And it tastes so much better than the manicotti pasta tubes you buy from the store and boil.
So, I tried some crepe shell recipes and finally - I found my perfect crepe manicotti.
I'm not going to lie to you - this recipe does take some time, but no part of it is hard or prone to disaster. (I'm assuming you can flip a pancake and fill a burrito.)
First the crepe recipe
note there is no fat in this - oil, butter, etc - it's not like a crepe you eat with fruit or syrup
(source: all recipes - sorry - I didn't bookmark it - there are many alike)
Crepe Shells
2 cups flour
2 cups milk
2 eggs*, beaten
1 tsp salt
Heat a 6" - 8" pan to medium (or medium high) heat. Mix all together and whisk (or blend or whatever) until it's smooth.
Spray the pan with cooking oil. You do not have to spray the pan with oil after every single one if you have a non-stick pan, but you do every so often.
Using 1/4 cup batter, pour into the center of the pre-heated pan - Pick up your pan and "swirl it around" (tilt the pan every way until the bottom of the pan is covered in batter). Then, sit it back down on the eye to cook.
The first side should take less than a minute (One time I timed these and it was about 40 seconds.) Then flip it. With your fingers if you're heat-resistant :) or with a spatula. The second side will take even less time - (the one time I timed it, it was about 20 seconds - I'm pretty sure yesterday was more like 10).
You can tell it's done:
first side - the edges get dry and the middle that's still wet is not runny
second side - when you pick up the pan and shake/jiggle it, the crepe will slide around.
These will not be browned like a pancake or regular crepe - but more pasty-colored - like cooked pasta.
I usually get about 13-16 crepes from 1 batch. (And I often double it because I make this when I have guests.)
*I tried using powdered eggs in this recently and it need a little more water to get it's normal consistency and still I probably should have added more...I like it better with fresh eggs. Just a note since I like to try out my recipes food storage style and see if they still work - this one does, but I will only use the food storage in this if I have to.
Manicotti Filling
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided (3 cups + 1 cup)
15 oz ricotta cheese (or about 2 cups)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese (For this, the jar stuff is fine, or you can splurge for the real stuff)
2 Tbsp dried basil
2 Tbsp dried parsley
1 (26 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
Preheat oven to 350°F Spray large baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Pour a thick layer of spaghetti sauce into baking dish (or pan with some lip) - I use my 1/2 baker's sheets.
Mix 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and basil.
Spoon small amount (about 3 Tbsp) down center of each crepe and roll up (like a burrito) and place seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
(Really - immediately - if you wait, you'll be re-heating in the microwave - they're just not as good room temperature.) They do reheat well if you have leftovers though.
For easy printing:
Manicotti
SERVES 4 -6 Yield: 13-16 crepes
Fresh-Made Manicotti Crepes (Shells)
2 cup flour
2 cup milk
2 beaten eggs
1 teaspoon salt
Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, blending and stirring until you have a smooth batter.
Place a small (6 inch) dry non-stick skillet over moderate heat.
for each crepe:
Ladle out 1/4 cup batter into the heated pan, and swirl to cover the bottom. The crepe should set almost instantly. As soon as the edges begin to dry and pull away from the pan, turn it over allowing the other side to cook quickly. This should only take seconds.
Manicotti Filling
4 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided
15 oz ricotta cheese
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese or romano cheese
2 tablespoons dried parsley
2 tablespoons dried basil
1 (26 ounce) jar prepared spaghetti sauce, divided
Preheat oven to 350°F Spray baking dish with nonstick cooking spray.
Spoon spaghetti sauce into prepared baking dish.
Mix 3 cups mozzarella with the ricotta, parmesan, parsley, and basil. Spoon small amount (about 3 tbsp) down center of crepe and roll up (like a burrito) and place seam side down in baking dish.
Pour remaining spaghetti sauce over top of pasta. Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella.
Bake manicotti for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
No comments:
Post a Comment