Manicotti

Adapted from a family recipe; uses Melissa Clark’s Simple Tomato Sauce (The New York Times).

Serves 3 to 4 (about 13 manicotti)

Here is my grandmother’s recipe, which she got from her mother-in-law. It makes about 13 manicotti; three to four make a serving. It doubles easily to serve six to eight. My aunt used to place filled, unsauced manicotti on cornmeal-strewn sheet pans to freeze; once solid, she’d slip them into freezer bags and bake from frozen as needed. I use Melissa Clark’s Simple Tomato Sauce for this.

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 skillet bottom)

Filling

(If you chill the filling first, rolling is easier; one hour works, two is better, and you can make it a day ahead)

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 from Alison Roman)
85g Parmesan cheese, grated
¼ to ½ pound mozzarella (either packaged “dry” mozzarella or fresh; I grate 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 (remember Parmesan is salty)

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

Pancakes
(This ratio scales easily; for one 15-ounce ricotta filling, I use)

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

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

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

Use about 2 tablespoons 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 cooked side up. I don’t cook the second side — my grandmother didn’t — though I have a cousin who does. Do what works for you.

Stack the pancakes as you go and continue until all the batter is used.

Prepare the pan

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

Assembly and baking

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

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

Note

To freeze, place filled, unsauced manicotti on a cornmeal-dusted sheet pan and freeze until firm, then bag. Bake from frozen at 325°F, adding sauce after they’ve begun to heat through.

Plain Pancake

Stuffed But Not Sauced Manicotti