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| I'm on a Facebook page called Ina Garten Fan Club....and for anyone who cooks or bakes who doesn't love our Ina! Ina can basically do Anything where Food is concerned and for some strange reason makes it sound difficult but then tells you how easy it is....and We Believe Her! I so enjoy being in this group of other people who love....like I do...to cook and bake and ask questions...and get new ideas... Because it's not just about Ina....I would like to think that Ina simply inspired the site.... We are young... we are old.... we are in between and we are Men and Women.... We share ideas and who doesn't love a compliment every now and then.... So when I posted tonight's dinner and got people asking for the recipe....I thought the easiest way to do that would be back to my original favorite way to let people know what I like to do best.... Besides critiquing and making fun of "My Pillow.com" in my last post.... and telling you all about my crazy life with the Boss.. I do love to cook and bake going back to high school... so.....here is the recipe for "Brooklyn Pat's Homemade Manicotti" with a touch of Sue's meatballs and sauce! Enjoy!! |
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| sauce... I jar Rao's Marinara sauce I also discovered that at Costco they sell a brand called Premium Organic Paesana tomato and basil... 2 jars for $6.99....a steal and just as good as Rao's... 1 large can of Cento petite diced tomatoes (or any good Italian brand) 2 dashes of garlic salt 2 teaspoons of sugar _______________________________________ meatballs.... 1 pound of ground chuck 2 eggs 1/2 cup of dried Italian bread crumbs 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese 1 cup of fresh bread crumbs... I actually use a hot dog bun put through my food processor kosher salt and fresh ground pepper I love the smell of the McCormick Grinders mixed peppercorns.. water as needed to bind mixture together... I use about 1/4 cup... heat a large dutch oven or any heavy pot with a lid when hot add a few dashes of olive oil when oil is hot add your meatballs... brown lightly then add the above sauce, diced tomatoes, the garlic salt (husband hates real garlic but you can certainly use that instead of the garlic salt) and the sugar... simmer for a few hours.... ________________________________ Making the manicotti shells..... 1 cup of milk 1 cup of flour 1 egg 1 teaspoon of kosher salt beat the egg with the milk....add the salt and then a little at a time whisk in the flour until there are no lumps... Heat a flat skillet or if you have one use a French Crepe Pan... Sur La Table sells one for $15.96 - 19.96 de Buyer Blue Steel Crepe Pans... well worth the money....Anyhoo... I spray the pan lightly with Olive Oil spray and I add a touch of butter for taste... have a cookie sheet ready and sheets of parchment to place the crepes as you are making them... I use the parchment so they don't stick to one another.... Plus I just love parchment paper... I fell in love with it when I realized how cheaply Costco sells it for... Using a ladle work quickly by putting the batter....which will be very thin...on to the hot pan....swirl around to make your circle. I always screw up the first one never remembering how to turn them over. Using a spatula and a fork after a minute flip it over and cook it about another minute on the other side. They should be slightly brown....very slight. This batter amount made 8 manicotti... _____________________________________ The filling.... 1 8oz. container of good quality Ricotta cheese 1 egg.... a handful of grated Parmesan cheese.... 1 tablespoon of minced parsley (dried or fresh) Or... I used a big handful of fresh spinach that I rough chopped.. salt and pepper... Mix well....then place a good amount on each crepe... These are so much easier to fill because you have an open surface to work with. Place the cheese in the center then take each side and fold it towards the center. Put some of the sauce in the bottom of a baking dish... place the manicotti seam side up on top of the sauce... add a little more sauce on top and some more Parmesan cheese... I also used some grated Asiago....gives it a nice bite... _______________________________ Bake at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes... let it set up for about 15-20 minutes before serving.... ________________ I like to add an extra sauce to serve with the pasta Melt 2 tablespoons of butter and add 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream....Let that come to a simmer then add about a cup of grated Parmesan and some white pepper....I use regular fresh ground pepper.....and I added Asiago to the sauce also... Add more cheese until you get the thickness you prefer... Drizzle the Alfredo Sauce over the Manicotti.... Then sit back and wonder how many pounds you just gained.... Bon Appetit from Atlanta Georgia!! |
4 comments:
Sue- That sounds just fantastic!!! Love that you belong to that cooking 'club'. I rarely cook anymore because my husband no longer eats solid food since his cancer...and I don't want to set off his cravings so I eat very simply now.
Have a great weekend-xo Diana
Sue, why didn't you become a professional chef. You love to cook. You are great at it. Seems like a winning situation to me. That meal looked so good - but hard for me. PS Did not get purple. Sandie
Believe it or not --- I do make crepes and have my late mother-in-law's electric crepe pan from the 1970s. It makes wonderful crepes with ease, so maybe I should try this recipe for manicotti. My sisters-in-law still can't figure out how I ended up with their Mother's crepe pan, and I'm not telling!!! Take care, Sally
Sounds wonderful!!
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