Cheese Manicotti

The first thing I cooked for my husband was manicotti, and that was Valentines Day 2004. I made it again this year and shared it with the guys that game at our house on Mondays. They loved it, and so did I. I used the recipes for Cheese Filling, Tomato Meat Sauce and Baked Manicotti from the 75th Anniversary Joy Of Cooking cookbook. The recipes in the book are written out differently than traditional cookbooks, and I like it. So I'm going to do it the way the book does on this one.I actually came across the book at the library so I grabbed it. I think I have it in my collection, but I haven't gone downstairs to look yet! It seems like a big recipe, but if you do the filling and sauce (or one of them) the night before, it's not nearly as daunting as it looks!

Cheese Filling

Beat in a bowl until fluffy:
15 ounces ricotta

Beat in one at a time:

2 large eggs

Add:

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

1/2 C grated Parmesan (2 ounces)

Salt and black pepper to taste

Tomato Meat Sauce

Heat in a large heavy casserole or skillet over medium heat.

Add:

1/4 C olive oil

(or 2 ounces pancetta or bacon, diced)

If using pancetta or bacon, cook, stirring, until it renders its fat, about 3 minutes.

Add:

1 pound ground beef or sweet Italian sausages, casings removed and crumbled

Cook, stirring, until the meat loses its pink color, about 5 minutes. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from the pan. Add and cook, stirring, until tender, about 5 minutes:

1 medium onion, chopped

Add and stir until fragrant, about 30 seconds:

2 to 4 garlic cloves, minced

Stir in and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes:

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Add:

Two 28-ounce cans whole tomatoes, with their juice

(1 tsp fresh thyme or oregano leaves or 1/2 tsp dried)

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp sugar

Cook, uncovered, crushing the tomatoes with the side of a spoon to break them up, until they have cooked down and smell very fragrant, about 15 minutes. Cover and cook over low heat for 30 minutes, stirring often, until the sauce is thickened. Stir in:

2 to 3 tablespoons slivered basil or chopped parsley

Salt and black pepper to taste

For manicotti

Have ready:

3 cups Tomato Sauce

2 1/4 cups Cheese Filling

Preheat the oven to 350. Lightly grease a shallow 3-quart baking dish. Cook in a large pot of boiling salted water until barely tender:

8 ounces manicotti or jumbo shells

Drain. Using a small spoon, fill the pasta with the filling. Arrange the pieces side by side in the baking dish. At this point, the dish can be covered and refrigerated for up to 24 hours. Spoon the tomato sauce over the pasta and sprinkle with:

1 C shredded mozzarella (4 ounces)

6 Tbsp grated Parmesan or Romano

Cover with aluminum foil and bake until heated through, about 40 minutes. Let stand for 15 minutes before serving.