Four Cheese Manicotti

I was recently out to dinner at an Italian restaurant with my brother and he ordered manicotti, one of my all time favorite dishes.  I commented that I should order that also, because I love it and it never seems to turn out the same at home and he retorted that was because I was using store bought manicotti shells.  Now, I don't always listen to my brother, he is after all my baby brother, but, in this case, I had a sneaky suspicion he just might be onto something.

When I got home, I referred to my trusty Soprano Family Cookbook for the recipe for the crepes and it turns out they are super simple.  Flour, water, eggs and salt.

It was just the kids and I, so I wanted to make a fairly small sized serving.  I combined 2 eggs, 1/2 cup of flour, 1/2 cup of water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt,

whisked it together and then covered and refrigerated it while I prepared filling.

I love cheese!

For the filling, I combined 1 cup of ricotta cheese,

1 cup of shredded mozzarella cheese,

a couple of ounces of goat cheese,

and 1 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

I added an egg and some salt and pepper

along with some chopped Italian parsley

and stirred to combine.

For the sauce I used my standard marinara.  I feel like I repeat this a lot here and it probably deserves its own post, but no time for that today, so here it is again.  Chop up a couple of cloves of garlic.

Yum!

Puree 32 ounces of canned diced tomatoes.

Add a couple tablespoons to a large saute pan

and cook the garlic for a few minutes until fragrant.

Add the pureed tomatoes

and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Let it simmer for about 15 minutes and then add some torn fresh basil.

Now back to the crepes.  I used a small saute pan, which I brushed with olive oil.

I poured approximately 1/3 cup of the batter into the pan once it was hot

and rotated the pan around

to distribute the batter.

After about 1 minute, I was able to flip the crepe over, using my fingers

and continued to cook it for an additional 30 seconds or so.

The finished crepes can be stacked on a plate, separated by wax paper.  The batter made seven crepes.  That kinda drove me nuts...  Wouldn't it have been better if it made eight, or even six?  Huh.  Oh well, onward.

Spoon a couple of tablespoons of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish

and smear it all around.

Retrieve the cheese mixture

and, in this case, spoon one seventh (not one sixth or eighth) of the mixture down the center of a crepe.

Beginning at one side, roll it up

just like an enchilada

and place it into the marinara coated baking dish.

Repeat with all seven crepes

and then smother the prepared crepes with the remaining marinara sauce.

Now, for more cheese!  Take another cup of mozzarella cheese and sprinkle it on top

and then grate a bit more Parmesan cheese on top of that.

Pop the dish into a preheated, 350 degree oven and bake for 45 minutes.

Yum!  When it comes out of the oven, you will have a gooey, cheesy, delicious entree.

After I plated it, I threw on a little extra cheese and basil for good measure!

Don't tell my brother, but he might have been right.

The crepes make all the difference in the world.  How come I didn't think of that?  Enjoy!

Four Cheese Manicotti 
serves: 4  (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

• For the crepes:
• 1/2 cup flour
• 1/2 cup water
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 t salt
•  For the filling:
• 1 cup ricotta cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 3 ounces goat cheese
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup Italian parsley, chopped
• salt and pepper, to taste
• For the sauce:
• 4 cloves garlic
• 32 ounces diced tomatoes, pureed
• 3 T olive oil
• 2 T fresh basil
• salt and pepper, to taste
• For the top:
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
• 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Whisk together 2 eggs, flour, water and 1/4 teaspoon of salt,cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.

For the filling, combined ricotta, mozzarella, goat and Parmesan cheese. Add an egg and season with salt and pepper.  Stir in chopped Italian parsley.

For the sauce, puree 32 ounces of canned, diced tomatoes.  Heat olive oil in a large saute pan and cook the garlic for a few minutes until fragrant.  Add the pureed tomatoes and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Let simmer for15 minutes, adding fresh basil at the very end.

Brushed a small saute pan with olive oil.  Pour approximately 1/3 cup of the crepe batter into the pan and rotated the pan to distribute the batter.  Cook for about 1 minute and then flip the crepe over, using your fingers and continue to cook for an additional 30 seconds.  Slide onto a plate and repeat with remaining batter.  The finished crepes can be stacked on a plate, separated by wax paper. 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  To assemble, spoon a couple of tablespoons of the marinara sauce into the bottom of a baking dish and smear it around.  Spoon 1/2 cup of the cheese mixture down the center of a crepe, roll it up and place it into the marinara coated baking dish.  Repeat will all the crepes and then smother with the remaining marinara sauce.  Top the dish with another cup of shredded mozzarella cheese and 1/2 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake for 45 minutes.

Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto

I don't know about you, but for me, this is the WORST time of the year.  As the snow melts, my fingers begin to itch to get into the garden and turn over the soil.  My body is literally screaming for fresh vegetables and herbs.  I'm suffering delirium tremens because I haven't tasted a fresh tomato in months.  When this happens, this is about the best I can do.  I've found that you can almost make a store bought roma tomato taste "real" if you roast it.  I think it is as good as it gets in the dead of winter.

So here is the skinny.  Use six to seven Roma tomatoes, 12 oz of cherry tomatoes, 1 head of garlic and a bunch of basil and oregano.  I used lemon basil because my AeroGarden has been prolific in its production of this herb, but I normally prefer Genovese basil.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  I cut the very top of the Roma tomatoes off

and placed them cut side down in a 8x11 pan.

Repeat the same process with the cherry tomatoes, cutting off the very top

and placing cut side down in the pan.

Now take a head of garlic, separate the cloves, remove the skin

and nestle them in between the tomatoes.

Sprinkle the basil and oregano over the top.

Now drizzle several tablespoons of olive oil over the tomatoes

and top with a sprinkling of coarse sea salt.  Roast the tomatoes in the oven for one hour.

After an hour, remove from the oven.

You should be able to lift the skins right off the top of the Roma tomatoes and discard them.

Remove the cherry tomatoes from the pan and reserve them.  They will be used to top the dish.

Risotto is one of my absolute favorite dishes to make.  It takes a bit of time, but it is so easy and the process of cooking to relaxes me.  Start with one onion

and dice about 1/2 cup.

Now take another half to whole head of garlic for the shrimp.

You want to peel the cloves and slice them as thin as you can get them.

I ended up with a big pile, but we really like garlic.  You can adjust the amount to your families taste.

Peel and clean one pound of raw shrimp

and gather six cups of chicken stock.  I'm using homemade chicken stock, but you can use canned if you prefer.

My chicken stock was frozen, so I put it in a medium sauce pan to melt it.  If you are using canned stock, you will still want to put it into a pan and heat it over very low heat.

Now we are ready to start the cooking the risotto.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan.

Add 1/2 cup of diced onion to the pan and cook for several minutes until the onion is soft.

Add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice to the pan

and stir until it is glossy with the butter and olive oil.  I always use a wooden spoon when making risotto.  I must have read somewhere at some point that it is preferred, so now it is gospel.

Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine to the rice.

At this point, you better pour yourself a glass also.  I always do.  I suspect that I like to cook risotto so much because it gives me a good 1/2 hour of "down time"  where I just sip and stir.  If the kids scream for me, I can honestly say I'm busy cooking dinner.  Risotto needs constant attention, but it is not intensive attention.  You just need to be there. 

Now for the fun.  Slowly begin to add the chick stock, one ladle full at a time, waiting between each addition until the stock is absorbed into the rice.  Don't hurry the process, enjoy it!  Sip your wine.  Refill if necessary.

When you have added all the chicken stock, you will have a nice plump risotto.  It should not be mushy, but it should be creamy.  Taste it, a couple of times, to make sure.

When you are satisfied with the consistency, add the roasted tomatoes, garlic and herbs to the pan

and stir to break up the roasted Roma tomatoes.

Also stir in 1 cup of Parmesan, reduce the heat to very low and turn your attention to the shrimp.

You want to very quickly saute the shrimp in 2 to 3 tablespoons of butter with the slivered garlic.

Melt the butter in a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil so that it does not burn.

Add the garlic and cook for a few minutes until it is golden in color and fragrant.

Add the shrimp and quickly toss

cooking for about 3 minutes, just until pink.  Remove immediately from the heat.

As a last step, stir in about 1/2 cup of fresh basil to the risotto.



Serve the risotto on a plate, topped with the shrimp, roasted cherry tomatoes, some extra basil and grated Parmesan cheese.  Enjoy!

Garlic Shrimp with Roasted Tomato and Basil Risotto
serves: 6  (Recipe also on Tasty Kitchen)

• 6 Roma tomatoes
• 12 oz of cherry tomatoes
• 1 1/2 heads of garlic, divided
• 1 1/2 cups of basil, divided
• 1/4 cup of oregano
• 4 T olive oil, divided
• 1 T coarse sea salt
• 1/2 c diced onion 
• 6 cups of chicken stock 
• 4 T butter, divided 
• 1 1/2 cups Arborio rice 
• 1/2 cup dry white wine 
• 1 cup Parmesan cheese, grated 
• 1 lb raw shrimp, cleaned and peeled. 

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Cut the top off the Roma tomatoes and place them cut side down in a 8x11 pan.  Nestle the cherry tomatoes and 1 head of peeled garlic cloves between the Roma tomatoes.  Sprinkle 1 cup of basil and the oregano over the top.  Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and top with coarse sea salt.  Roast the tomatoes in the oven for one hour.  After the tomatoes have cooled, lift the skin off the Roma tomatoes and discard the skin. Separate the cherry tomatoes from the rest of the tomatoes and herbs, they will be used as garnish for the dish and reserve.

Heat chicken stock in a medium sauce pan over low heat.  Melt 1 tablespoon of butter with 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a large sauce pan.  Add onion and cook for several minutes until soft.  Add 1 1/2 cups of Arborio rice.  Add 1/2 cup of dry white wine and stir until absorbed.  Slowly begin to add the chicken stock to the rice, one ladle full at a time, waiting between each addition until the stock is absorbed.  When you have added all the chicken stock, add the roasted tomatoes, garlic and herbs and stir to break up the roasted tomatoes.  Add Parmesan and reduce the heat to low.

Slice the cloves from the remaining half a head of garlic as thin as possible.  Melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saute pan with a splash of olive oil so that it does not burn.  Add the slivered garlic and cook for a few minutes until it is golden in color and fragrant.  Add the (cleaned and peeled) shrimp and quickly toss, cooking for about 3 minutes, just until the shrimp turn pink.  Remove immediately from the heat.

Stir the remaining 1/2 cup of fresh basil into the risotto.  Serve risotto on a plate, topped with the shrimp, reserved cherry tomatoes and garnished with extra basil and grated Parmesan cheese.