Manicotti

Homemade Manicotti

Light, soft, delicious little crepes filled with a creamy firm mixture of ricotta/ mozzarella/ Romano cheese and smothered in a rich tomato sauce, manicotti are my family's favorite celebratory pasta dish. I make them for holidays, when company is coming, or as a special birthday treat. They are actually easier to make than lasagna and, in my opinion, even tastier!

My recipe comes from this 1968 slim paperback cookbook, which was once given away for free by the then Brooklyn, NY-based Pollio Dairy Products Corporation, makers of fine Italian cheese products. As a young bride in the early seventies, eager to prove that I could replicate the wonderful dishes my in-laws made, it became my favorite cookbook, as it is filled with many authentic recipes from appetizers to sauces, main courses, and desserts.

The Pollio recipe or Polly-O, as the family name was commercially presented, has two versions -- the traditional pasta shell made by making a dough that is rolled out and kneaded and cut into sheets, then dried and cooked in boiling water -- or the second version, which is the one I have been using for over 30 years, and which my in-laws and all the Italian families that I know who have been making them use, which is a simple batter, cooked in a pan like a crepe.

The recipe for the quick batter:

1 cup flour

1 cup milk

1 egg beaten

1/2 teaspoon salt

Stir milk gradually with the flour until smooth. Add, stirring constantly, the beaten egg to which the salt has been added. As you can see in the photo above the batter is somewhat thin in its consistency.

Next, brush a 6-inch frying pan with olive oil, vegetable oil, lard, or butter.

This is the pan I use in the photo below, which is a treasured little old-fashioned "Wear-Ever" brand aluminum pan, well-loved, and used to make a lot of little crepes over the years. I will pass this pan down to my daughter one day as a family heirloom. It is a little smaller than 6 inches, so instead of making the usual 8 - 9 manicotti shells the recipe above, it makes close to, or a little over, a dozen smaller ones a size which we find just perfect.

My in-laws have used the same size pan to make their manicotti, so it has been a matter of family preference, which is probably how most recipes become individualized over time, and which is also what makes them so special, as no one makes them exactly the same which becomes part of the charm.

I always use a small dab of butter in the pan, which I feel adds to the good taste of the crepe. It takes a little practice to have the pan hot but not overly so that the butter does not burn, and the crepe does get too browned in appearance. It doesn't affect the taste if it happens, but they look nicer if they cook without brown spots.

Add the right amount of batter to the pan, after the butter melts.

A quick swirl of the batter to cover the pan bottom evenly and then, as soon as it sets, a quick flip over with a small spatula or fork until the crepe is set on both sides, as you can see in the photo below. They cook very fast and need your full attention.

Repeat, until all the batter is used. I have a platter nearby where I flip them out, as you can see in the photo below.

My platter of completed manicotti "shells" or crepes.

Next, I prepare the filling:

2 eggs, beaten lightly

1 1/2 pounds of Polly-O ricotta

1/2 pound of Polly-O mozzarella, cubed, grated, or in slivers

1/3 cup Polly-O grated Romano or Parmesan Cheese

Salt & Pepper to taste -- I add just a little to the beaten eggs

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

Blend all ingredients of the filling together until mixed.

Prepare a baking pan by covering the bottom liberally with tomato sauce. In each crepe add around a two-tablespoon dollop of filling in the center and bring the sides over, so they overlap to hold the filling in and lay side by side in the dish. See the photo below.

Continue until all manicotti crepe shells are used. It may take a few times before your eye will know not to end up with too much filling or too many shells, but it usually works out evenly. Ladle tomato sauce over the middle of the shells as seen below.

I then sprinkle grated mozzarella and grated cheese over the sauce. The manicotti can be frozen at this time, covered well with aluminum foil. Bring to room temperature before cooking, if frozen.

Bake in a hot, 400 degrees F oven for 10 to 15 minutes, or until sauce is bubbling and hot. Let stand for about 5 - 10 minutes and serve, with extra sauce and grated cheese available.

As a pasta first course we usually have two manicotti, and then I serve the meatballs, or another meat that I've prepared, and vegetables. If they will be the entire entree, then three of four are easily consumed, which is why we like them prepared in a smaller size.

I hope you'll try them!

Buon Appetito!