Recipe(tried): Eggplant Manicotti with Ricotta, Asiago and Spinach Filling, Mixed Greens Salad with Feta, Banana Cream Cheese Pie

Good Morning,

Today is Monday, my chore day, so I need to make something easy, delicious and also something that makes good use of the left-over meat sauce I made yesterday. One of the reasons I enjoy making that particular spaghetti sauce is because it makes a big pot of it and there are so many yummy recipes to use with it afterwards.

One of my favorite ways to use it is with eggplant parmesan but I found toaday's recipe in the new issue of Bon Appetit that sounds divine. I won't have to make the sauce since I have it already. But I included it for you... I have dog-eared so many of the pages that I decided this is where the next two week's menus are coming from.

Happy Cooking!!! Gina

The Menu:

Eggplant Manicotti w/Ricotta, Asiago and Spinach Filling
Mixed Greens Salad
Banana Cream Cheese Pie

The Recipes:

Eggplant Manicott with Ricotta, Asiago and Spinach Filling
Melanzane Ristorante, Naperville, Illinois
Bon Appetit, Sept. 2001
serves 8

Sauce:
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
3/4 cup chopped celery
1/4 cup chopped garlic
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 (28 oz.) can crushed tomatoes with added puree
1 cup chicken stock or canned broth
1 cup chopped fresh basil

Manicotti:
1 lb. fresh or whole milk ricotta cheese
1 cup grated asiago cheese
3/4 cup fresh baby spinach
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/8 tsp. ground cayenne pepper
1 large egg, beaten

2 medium eggplants, unpeeled, each cut lengthwise into eight 1/3-inch slices
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

For sauce: Heat oil in heavy large saucpan over med-high heat. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic; saute til tender about 8 minutes. Add wine and cook 3 more minutes. Add crushed tomatoes, stock and basil. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Cool.

For manicotti: Place ricotta cheese in strainer over a bowl. Let stand til excess liquid drains from cheese, about 2 hours. Transfer cheese to a bowl and stir in asiago cheese, spinach, nutmeg, pepper. Season to taste with salt and pepper and mix in the egg.

Preheat oven to 350. Oil 2 large baking sheets, brush both sides of eggplant slices with oil, arrange on sheets, sprinkle with salt and pepper and bake til tender, about 13 min. Cool on sheets.

Place one eggplant slice on work surface, place a scant 2 Tbsp. of ricotta filling near narrower end and roll up enclosing filling. Repeat with remaining slices. Spread half of sauce in bottom of 13x9x2" baking pan and arrange the manicotti in single layer atop the sauce. Spoon remaing sauce over. Bake til heated thru about 20 minutes. Sprinkle with parmesan and serve.

Mixed Greens Salad with Feta

1/2 bag of pre-washed mixed greens
1 tomato, chopped
1/2 cucumber, chopped
1/2 package crumbled feta
1/4 cup dried cranberries
2 small yellow crookneck squashes, sliced
your favorite dressing

Mix all the vegetable in a large bowl, drizzle on the dressing and top with the feta and cranberries. Divide between two salad plates.

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BANANA CREAM CHEESE PIE

1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese, softened
1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
1/3 cup lemon juice (and additional for dipping bananas)
1 tsp. vanilla
4 medium bananas, divided use
1 (9-inch) graham cracker crumb crust (or baked pastry shell)

In a large mix bowl, beat cheese till fluffy. Gradually beat in condensed milk till smooth. Stir in lemon juice and vanilla.

Peel and slice 2 bananas and dip slices in lemon juice; drain and line crust. Pour filling over bananas and cover. Chill for 3 hours or until set.

Before serving, slice remaining bananas, dip in lemon juice; drain and garnish pie. Refrigerate leftovers.

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Note from Gina 8-21-2001: Yesterday's meal was superb and a keeper!! It was a fun recipe to make and it did not take too long to assemble.