Do You Take This Manicotti

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july 24

Do You Take This Manicotti

" Wedding Planner, The" Do You Take This Manicotti

Planning a wedding isn’t easy, but when you have a recipe like this all you have to do is ask yourself, “Do you take this manicotti?”

For the Pasta:

3 1/2 cups all purpose flour, plus additional as needed for dusting
5 large eggs

For the Filling:

3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus 1½ cups for topping
2 cups shredded mozzarella
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons fresh chopped Italian parsley
2 tablespoons fresh chopped basil
Salt and pepper to taste

Also:

4 cups of your favorite simple tomato sauce (recipe provided below for your convenience)

Directions:

1. On a wooden pastry board or clean countertop, mound the flour and hollow out the middle to make a well or crater in the center. Pour the eggs into the well, add a pinch of salt and use a dinner fork to first scramble the eggs, and then to incorporate flour from the inside edges, being careful not to breach the sides. As the well enlarges and the mix thickens, occasionally push flour up from the sides to keep the mixture contained in the center.

Once the mixture takes on the consistency of paste, use your palms and finger tips to hand knead the remaining flour a little at a time to form a cohesive mass, adding a few drops of ice water if the dough feels too dry. If a clean thumb stuck into the center of the mass emerges clean, no more flour is necessary and the real kneading can begin. Set the dough aside and clean the pastry board of any dried bits before proceeding.

Lightly flour the board and knead by repeatedly pressing the dough away with heels of the hands and then folding in half, back toward you. Continue anywhere from 8-10 minutes until dough becomes elastic and smooth. Wrap with plastic and let rest at room temperature 30 minutes to an hour before rolling out.

2. Divide pasta dough into four equal parts, flatten by hand and then roll as thinly as possible either with a rolling pin (good luck) or more easily, through the second thinnest setting on a hand-cranked pasta machine - a standard hand-cranked pasta machine produces a sheet about 4" wide and 18" long. (Dust the pasta sheets with a little flour if they become too sticky to handle.) Cut each 18” sheet in into 6” long sheets and cover with a damp towel until use.

3. Combine all filling ingredients and set aside.

4. Preheat oven to 375F.

5. Spread 2 cups tomato sauce in the baking dish. Lay a pasta sheet out on a clean work surface (short side facing you) and spread a scant quarter cup of filling over the pasta, leaving the top 2” unfilled. Roll loosely into a tube and place, seam-side down in the baking dish on top of the tomato sauce. Repeat with remaining pasta and cover tubes with remaining tomato sauce.

6. Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes. Raise oven temperature to 425; uncover, sprinkle with remaining parmesan and mozzarella and bake another 15 minutes until brown and bubbly. Enjoy!