Morning to you all! Back to normal today…start of a new week. I hope you have all had the most fabulous Holiday Season ever! I look forward to spending the New Year with all of you wonderful friends!
Today we are back to Meatless Monday as is every day in this home. I have a bit of Italian for you…
Baked Cheese Manicotti
This is a recipe that I developed for my family years ago…it is tried and true and I promise it is really easy…don’t be hesitant that the shells are home made — they are simple…light and well worth the little extra time!
Please use your favorite Tomato Sauce Recipe!
Ingredients:
1 XLarge Free Range Egg
1 cup of Whole Milk
1 cup of flour (I use King Arthur)
salt and pepper to taste
(One Batter makes 8 thin pancakes…I doubled this and made 16
The Filling below will fill 16 Manicotti ‘s)
Directions
Simply place all of the ingredients in a blender or a small food processor and whip them up until creamy and smooth! That’s it!
Now comes the fun part…making the pancakes…take out your favorite little egg skillet (cast iron…stainless or non stick) I used non stick today but many times I use the other two. You want to have a bit of olive oil or canola oil that you can dip a paper towel or cheese cloth in so you can give a quick wipe to your pan…keep repeating this after each pancake…trust me it will make your life easy!
I used a 6 inch skillet and 2 generous tablespoons of batter. You should find the amount of batter you need and then have a little cup that you can fill to that exact amount each time…speeds things along! You goal is a nice thin pancake.
So here goes…
Heat up the pan that has been wiped with the oil… take the pan off the stove and pour the batter directly into the middle ans swirl…keep swirling until the whole pan is covered with a pancake…place back on the fire for about 30 seconds and flip (I admit I use my fingers) let it touch the other side for about 10 seconds and then remove to a piece of wax paper that is on the counter. (I have to give you a little note…if there are little areas that are not covered — feel free to place a little batter in the holes…it will not effect the look or the taste of your manicotti…any inperfections will be covered with sauce!
this is a sample of what you are looking for…now…
place on wax paper (not foil or saran wrap : )
start stacking…place a sheet of wax paper in between each layer…repeat repeat. Each batter makes approximately 8 pancakes (thin) I made 16 (2 batters)
This amount of filling will make 16 plump Manicotti’s Serves 8 for Dinner or 16 appetizers…
This amount of filling will make 16 plump Manicotti’s Serves 8 for Dinner or 16 appetizers…
Now it is time for the filling…
Ingredients:
2 pounds of whole milk Ricotta Cheese
2 1/4 cups of grated Pecorino Romano Cheese (I love Pecorino but you can use any grated cheese that you and your family enjoy)
1 pound of shredded mozzarella cheese if you like a bit more…feel free!
3 tablespoons of fresh Italian parsley leaves
1 tablespoon of finely sliced scallion greens
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
2 Large free range eggs
(Reserve some shredded Mozzarella and some Grated Cheese for the top of your masterpiece.)
Directions:
Now simply take a nice big bowl…crack your eggs in and give them a whisk… then add your Ricotta…Mozzarella…Grated cheeses and combine…then add the parlsey…scallions…salt and peper and blend thorougly. Your mixture should be nice and thick and easy to scoop.
Now it is time to prepare your Manicotti…
take a pancake and place a nice amount of filling to the right hand side but not all the way to the end…
Now simply roll and have the seam on the bottom…
Place a thin layer of sauce on the bottom of your baking pan and place your Manicotti ontop…leaving a little scoop space between them…cover with your favorite sauce and then top with your cheese mixture and it is ready for the oven. Wrap with tin foil leaving a poof of foil so the foil does not touch the cheese…place the pan in a preheated 350 degree oven for about 25 minutes…then crank up the heat to 400…remove the foil and let bake for 5-7 minutes till the top is bubbly and lightly browned. Remove from oven…allow to cool for just a little bit…
plate them…sprinkle with a little bit of chopped scallion or chives and serve!
Time to dig in and enjoy!
I really hope you try this — the home made pasta pancakes make all the difference! You will love it and so will your family. After you get the hang of the little crepe style pancakes you can start filling them with all kinds of goodies — a mushroom filling is a sure bet! Experiment…have fun with it and make it your own!!!
Till tomorrow…tons of
Till tomorrow…tons of
(((HUGS)))