Manicotti

When I was a kid I could remember my grandmother making several dozen crepes.  She used them for her homemade manicotti.  Any Italian will tell you that THE best manicotti are not made with those store-bought noodles but with light, thin crepes. We had them with meatballs and homemade foccacia.

The crepe batter is very similar to that of pancake batter only it is a bit thinner.  In the time you need to boil the water and cook the noodles, you could have made a batch of crepes. So, take a shot, whip up a bunch of crepe batter and make a batch of manicotti.

Crepes:

1- ½ cup flour

1- ½  cup milk

4 eggs

pinch of salt

1.  Mix all and spoon into hot pan (medium-high heat).  Swirl batter in pan to coat bottom thinly.  Cook until bubbles as you would crepe.

Filling:

1 pound ricotta

1 egg

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tablespoon chopped parsley

salt and pepper to taste

1.  Mix filling in bowl of food processor until combined.   

 2.  Using the following photos as a guide, fill and roll crepes.

3.  Once all crepes are done.  Spoon marinara sauce (about 1/2-inch) in the bottom of baking dish.

4. Top with sauce and bake covered at 350° for 30 minutes.  Uncover and continue to bake for 15 minutes.  Top with additional Parmesan cheese and serve.