Manicoti shells

[matt]

I was wondering how is the best way to stuff them after they have cooked. Thank you matt

[kwormann]

very carefully??????

I use a small spoon and work very gingerly with small amounts at a time!

[Gail]

Well, gee Matt...

You could put on your chef's hat and apron, then impress the heck out of people by squeezing lovely little poufs of your filling into the pasta from a pastry tube...

...but as for me, I vote for the small spoon and care method. (If you have ice tea spoons, those work great.)

[Mamasue]

matt....we make the basic crepe instead of formed pasta.

[browneye]

Matt-
I get flat pasta sheets from a local Italian Deli- they are fresh, and soft...then I stuff and roll, and cook them fresh,covered with sauce, instead of the other way. Very easy and sooooo good! You might look into a local Italian food store or sometimes an Italian Restaurant will sell you some fresh pasta sheets...

[rockydog]

There's only one way I do it. Ice tea spoons.

[Chef Cindy]

Seems I am the odd duck here. I don't cook Manicoti before I stuff them. I usually stuff them put a layer of red sauce on the botton of the pan place the little guys in and cover with sauce. Sometimes I top with cheese. Cover with foil bake till done. Seems to work for me and they are so much easier to work with. Also, I don't have to worry about the shells breaking or sticking during the cooking process.

[Gail]

Ooh! Ooh! (Old folks, visualize Arnold Horshack)

Mamasue,

Puh-LEEZE tell me how you make the crepes for this...

PS We toasted you in Birmingham. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

[Susann]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Gail:
[B]Ooh! Ooh! (Old folks, visualize Arnold Horshack)

Gee, Gail, I didn't feel old until I read your post. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Melina]

Chef Cindy, your way sounds ideal. I'd like to try it. Could you tell me the oven temperature and maybe an approximate cooking time?

My niece and nephew are having a baby boy in about three weeks, and as a welcome home gift, I'm trying to cook and freeze about a weeks worth of dinners for them. They also have a three year old, so they'll have their hands full. The mancotti sound perfect for one of the dinners.

I stuff my mancotti with a ricotta mixture.
Does anyone have any suggestions for other stuffings?
Thanks,
Melina

[valchemist]

I have put uncooked lasagna noodles in lasagna dishes (not the no-boil kind, just regular lasagna noodles). Although they soak up the liquid from the sauce and become soft, the texture is not quite right. The noodles are a bit pasty or gummy. I suppose this might depend on the sauce you are using though.

I would definitely try using the uncooked manicotti (or in the case of lasagna, uncooked lasagna noodles) because it is such a time/effort saver. Then if you don't like the texture you can go back to the other way. It is worth a try though!

[kwormann]

Originally posted by Gail:
Ooh! Ooh! (Old folks, visualize Arnold Horshack)
http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif


I resemble that remark.....

[donleyk]

Me too.... Ugh.

[SandyM]

Up yer nose with a rubber hose! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

(gosh - did I just date myself??? http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/eek.gif )

[Angela]

I place the manicotti shells and boiling water in the baking dish. Cover the shells with the boiling water, just enough to cover them, and let them sit for 5-10 mins. Then place them in a collander and shock them (run cold water over them), then stuff. This makes them just ply-able enough to be able to stuff easily, but without them breaking.

[BlueMoose]

Valchemist...
I've had the same experience when not cooking the noodles. The texture ends up gummy, so I went back to the old-fashioned way.

Chrisi

[Mamasue]

Originally posted by Gail:
Ooh! Ooh! (Old folks, visualize Arnold Horshack)

Mamasue,

Puh-LEEZE tell me how you make the crepes for this...

PS We toasted you in Birmingham. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif


Me too......who are you calling old and I don't think I know this Arnold fella! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

You toasted me! Oh, now I am blushing....hope it was Sex on the Beach or was it a good Reisling? I will get back to you with the crepe recipe. Have to retrieve from Mother and will post tonight.

[valchemist]

oh good, chrisi. so it's not just me. I can tolerate the texture, but my husband really doesn't like it. So I am going to go back to the other method.

yes, I know the quick method works, but it just doesn't give us the best results. Thanks for your confirmation.

Val

[Mamasue]

Okay I had to check with my mother because I couldn’t read my notes and had a question on one of the ingredients. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif

Crepes (or Crespelle)

1 3/4 cups milk (Mom and I use 2%)
1 1/4 cups flour
3 eggs, beaten (haven’t tried egg beaters yet..maybe the next time)
1 teaspoon salt (Kosher in my house)

Gradually add milk to flour, beating vigorously; add eggs and salt. Note: If batter looks thick then add water a tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency. Batter’s consistency should be about like buttermilk but not thick like pancake batter. Beat this until smooth. Cover with Saran wrap and let rest for about 30 minutes. Grease a nonstick frying pan (I have a 8”) over medium heat. Pour half a ladleful of batter and move the pan so that the batter runs all over the bottom. Your crepe should not be thick. As soon as the crepe sets and starts to look like its detaching or the edges start to curl, then turn it over (I use my 2 thumbs and 2 index fingers) and cook the other side. Repeat and make crepes till batter is gone, stacking them in a pile. These can be frozen with wax paper in-between crepes, for later use.

Spinach and Cheese Filling

Note: I also use this filling for my raviolis that I make for Christmas dinner served with butter and parmesan sauce.

In microwave cook according to instructions a 10 ounce frozen spinach (I buy chopped) . Drain and cool. Squeeze dry (I take between my hand and squeeze it until its as dry as I can get it), then chop finely. In a bowl add about 3/4 to 1 cup of ricotta. Season with salt (kosher), fresh grated black pepper and grated fresh nutmeg (just a few gratings…you don’t want the nutmeg to overpower the mixture but just give a hint of this spice). Note: Northerners (Italians) use nutmeg frequently in their cooking. Add about 4 Tablespoons of grated Parmesan cheese (Not the Green Can Stuff)

Cheese Filling

2 cups ricotta
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
3 tablespoons grated parmesan
salt and pepper
fresh grated nutmeg (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1/2 cup fresh flat leaf (Italian) parsley


Assembling: Put a generous line of filling on each crepe, then rollup and arrange side by side in an oiled baking dish. Pour your favorite sauce over the crepes (crespelle) and bake at 425º to heat through.


[This message has been edited by Mamasue (edited 06-15-2001).]

[Jewel]

SIT ON IT POTSIE!! Whoops! Wrong show...

Maybe I'M the odd duck here, but it wouldn't be the first time! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/rolleyes.gif I've never been able to tolerate a full ricotta cheese mixture in manicotti. Just seems way too much! I've always stuffed mine with a mixture of Italian Sausage, ground beef, onion, lots of garlic, roasted red peppers, shredded mozzarella cheese and pasta sauce to hold it together. I stuff parboiled noodles (cooked halfway done so they're easier to work with and don't get so mushy when cooking in the oven) with a spoon and finish the stuffing with my fingers if I need to. Top with more spicy pasta sauce with roasted red peppers chopped into the sauce, and more mozzarella, then bake!

Always gets slurped up at get togethers! In fact, I'm proud of the fact that this was the FIRST recipe (of many... http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/biggrin.gif) that my MIL asked me for!

[Gail]

Thanks so much, Mamasue! This sounds wonderful. My usual crepe batter is this swimming-in-butter thing from Antoine's in New Orleans, and was actually meant to be used for Crepes Suzette. I was hoping you'd have something a bit less artery-clogging.

Horshack, BTW was from "Welcome Back Kotter"-- kind of an annoying show, wouldn't blame you for missing it.

--

Matt, if you're still there--

Jewel raised an imporant thing about the pasta. I par-boil as well, for the same reason she stated.

Thanks for reminding me, Jewel. Oh, your manicotti sounds yummy, too! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[This message has been edited by Gail (edited 06-15-2001).]

[Anne]

Thanks Mamasue. I have never tried making savory crepes, only the sweet kind. Do they have anything like the texture of hard-shell manicoti after cooking?
Browneye - is there another name for the flat pasta sheets or they only available in specialty stores? We don't have any deli's of any kind where I live.
This thread is really making me hungry for Italian food, not that my version is anywhere close to authentic. I use strained yoghurt, ricotta, venison sausage and a vege in mine (usually spinach, wild greens, broccoli, or cauliflower)

[Melina]

Okay, I went through the thread, (thanks Matt) and I ended up going with Jewel on the pasta. I'll parboil it first, (I think the word "gummy" really did it for me), and I'm going to use Mamasue's spinach and ricotta cheese filling. The relative's I'm cooking them for eat very little meat. But I'm going to try the sausage and pepper filling the next time I make them for home. I'd almost stopped serving them completely because I just couldn't face so much ricotta filling in one lump anymore.

AND the iced tea spoon idea is great.

Thanks to all,
Melina