Manicotti

Here is my grandmother’s recipe, which she got from her mother-in-law. This recipe makes about 13 manicotti. Three to four manicotti are usually enough for one serving.

It can be easily doubled to serve six to eight people—or more. My aunt used to place the filled, unsauced manicotti on cornmeal-strewn sheet pans in the freezer. Once frozen, she would pop the unsauced manicotti one by one into freezer bags for easy storage until she was ready to bake them.

I use Melissa Clark’s Simple Tomato Sauce for this recipe.

Special equipment
A 6- to 8-inch skillet (this is the only time I use a nonstick pan)
A 1½- or 2-inch ladle (depending on the diameter of the bottom of your skillet)

Filling

If you chill the filling first, it's easier to roll up the pancakes because then the filling doesn't spread. One hour is usually enough; two is better, and you can make it a day in advance.

1 15-ounce container whole milk ricotta (I like Polly-O, or I make my own)
4 large eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons heavy cream (a suggestion I got from Alison Roman)
85g Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ to ½ pound mozzarella (either packaged “dry” mozzarella or fresh; I grate it by hand on the large holes of a box grater)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Black pepper to taste—be generous
A tiny amount of grated nutmeg or ground cinnamon (nutmeg is more sophisticated, but Aunt Rita used cinnamon, so I do too)
A little salt to taste (keeping in mind that Parmesan is salty)

Mix all the filling ingredients together. Start with the ¼ pound of mozzarella, and only add more if the filling seems too wet.

Pancakes

This pancake ratio can be scaled up as needed. For the filling made with one 15-ounce container of ricotta, I make the batter with:

2 large eggs
126g all-purpose flour (I use King Arthur)
1 cup water

Whir the ingredients in a blender and let the batter rest for at least one hour before making the pancakes.

Put a small amount of neutral oil (I use expeller-pressed grapeseed) in a dish or saucer. Dip a paper towel in the oil and lightly swipe it over the bottom of your skillet. Heat the pan over medium heat until hot.

Use about 2 tablespoons of batter per pancake, depending on your skillet. For my 8-inch pan, a 1½-ounce ladle works perfectly. Pour the batter into the hot pan and immediately swirl to coat the bottom. When it’s cooked on one side, slide it onto a plate with the cooked side up. I don’t cook the second side—my grandmother didn’t—but I have a cousin who does. Do what works best for you.

The pancakes can be stacked. Keep going until all the batter is used.

Prepare the baking pan

Lightly oil a half sheet or quarter sheet pan, depending on the quantity. Coat the bottom with a thin layer of tomato sauce.

Assembly

Take a pancake with the cooked side up. Spoon about 2½ tablespoons of chilled filling onto it and roll it up like a cigar—not too tightly, as it will puff up a bit as it cooks. Place seam side down in the prepared pan.

Once the pan is filled with stuffed pancakes—now manicotti—spoon a thin layer of tomato sauce over them. Bake in a preheated 325°F oven for 30 to 45 minutes, until the manicotti is heated through and the cheese inside is melted. Serve as is, or with a little more sauce on top.

Plain Pancake

Stuffed But Not Sauced Manicotti