Manicotti might not be as popular as lasagne, but it should be. These similar dishes are usually both stuffed full of ricotta, covered in sauce, and then baked in the oven. Of course, the major difference here is the use of crepes (or crespelle Italian). This is how my grandmother made it, but you can alternatively cut out the meat and use a hardy green vegetable such as kale or swiss chard.
Method
For the Crepes:
Mix the flour, milk, eggs, and salt in a bowl to form a thin batter. Then heat an 8 ” pan on medium (either non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron) with a small amount of butter. The trick to making the crepes is to cover the surface of the pan before the batter sets. In order to do this, lift the pan in the air and tilt it slightly. Then, take a small ladle of batter and pour it into the pan, tilting the pan in all directions until it is covered. Cook the crepe until the batter is firm and completely set. At this point is should be pretty easy to slip a spatula underneath it to flip. If it’s stuck, give it some more time to cook. If you still can’t flip it, you may need to grease your pan more. Cook until crepe is lightly browned on both sides. According to Marcella Hazan you should use 2 tbsp batter per crepe, but I’ve not been able to get tbsp to cover the entirety of an 8 ” pan. From what I found I end up using about double that (4 tbsp) per crepe.
For the Manicotti:
- Brown the ground meat in a skillet with olive oil, set aside.
- Mix the ricotta, browned meat, cheese, greens, salt, and pepper in a large bowl
- On a clean working surface, lay crepes down flat, with the browned side up
- Add ~ 5 tbsp of filling off-center on the crepe, forming a log, roll the crepe and set in a baking casserole or sheet.
- Cover the crepes with sauce and bake for ~20 mins
- Serve with grated Pecorino Romano.
Manicotti
Manicotti
By: Daniel Lucas
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Manicotti might not be as popular as lasagne, but it should be. These similar dishes are usually both stuffed full of ricotta, covered in sauce, and then baked in the oven. Of course, the major difference here is the use of crepes (or crespelle Italian). This is how my grandmother made it, but you can alternatively cut out the meat and use a hardy green vegetable such as kale or swiss chard.
Method
For the Crepes:
Mix the flour, milk, eggs, and salt in a bowl to form a thin batter. Then heat an 8 ” pan on medium (either non-stick or well-seasoned cast iron) with a small amount of butter. The trick to making the crepes is to cover the surface of the pan before the batter sets. In order to do this, lift the pan in the air and tilt it slightly. Then, take a small ladle of batter and pour it into the pan, tilting the pan in all directions until it is covered. Cook the crepe until the batter is firm and completely set. At this point is should be pretty easy to slip a spatula underneath it to flip. If it’s stuck, give it some more time to cook. If you still can’t flip it, you may need to grease your pan more. Cook until crepe is lightly browned on both sides. According to Marcella Hazan you should use 2 tbsp batter per crepe, but I’ve not been able to get tbsp to cover the entirety of an 8 ” pan. From what I found I end up using about double that (4 tbsp) per crepe.
For the Manicotti:
- Brown the ground meat in a skillet with olive oil, set aside.
- Mix the ricotta, browned meat, cheese, greens, salt, and pepper in a large bowl
- On a clean working surface, lay crepes down flat, with the browned side up
- Add ~ 5 tbsp of filling off-center on the crepe, forming a log, roll the crepe and set in a baking casserole or sheet.
- Cover the crepes with sauce and bake for ~20 mins
- Serve with grated Pecorino Romano.
