Manicotti

IMAGE Credit: Landon Nordeman

ENLARGE IMAGECredit: Landon Nordeman

SERVES 6-8


Thanks to Saveur for this recipe

INGREDIENTS

1 ½ tbsp. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, minced
5 tbsp. tomato paste
⅓ cup finely chopped parsley
⅓ cup finely torn basil leaves
1 (28-oz.) can whole, peeled tomatoes in juice, crushed
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
4 oz. deli ham, finely chopped
4 oz. mozzarella, cut into ¼″ cubes
1 cup ricotta
¾ cup finely grated Parmesan
4 eggs
1 cup flour

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Make the sauce: Heat oil in a 4-qt. saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and onions, and cook, stirring, until soft, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste, and cook, stirring, until lightly caramelized, about 2 minutes. Add 2 tbsp. parsley, basil, tomatoes, and ½ cup water, season with salt and pepper, and bring to a boil; reduce heat to low, and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced and thickened, about 45 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside.

2. Make the filling: Combine 2 tbsp. parsley, ham, mozzarella, ricotta, ¼ cup Parmesan, and 1 egg, season with salt and pepper, and stir until smooth; set aside.

3. Make the pasta: Whisk together remaining eggs, flour, salt, and 1 ¼ cups water until smooth, and let sit for 20 minutes. Heat an 8″ nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add 3 tbsp. batter, and swirl skillet until completely covered; cook, turning once, until set but not browned, about 1 ½ minutes. Invert pasta circle onto a sheet of wax paper, and set aside to cool; repeat with remaining batter to make about 16 pasta circles in total.

4. Heat oven to 350°. Pour half the sauce over bottom of a 9″ x 13″ baking dish; set aside. Working with 1 pasta circle at a time, place about 2 tbsp. filling down the center of each, and roll the pasta circle around filling into cylinders. Transfer cylinders, seam side down, to dish; pour remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Bake until filling is heated through and sauce is bubbling, about 25 minutes. Garnish with remaining parsley