Recipe: Manicotti with Meat Sauce and Homemade Crepe Shells (Italian)

MANICOTTI WITH MEAT SAUCE AND HOMEMADE CREPE SHELLS

"This is another recipe that I have created. The ingredients are exactly the same as lasagna but I make a crepe instead of using noodles so it is not as filling as lasagna. The Ricotta filling can also be used to stuff large shells."

FOR THE RICOTTA MIXTURE:
1 pound ricotta cheese
1 egg
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
Pinch of salt and pepper
1 tablespoon grated Parmesan cheese
FOR THE CREPE BATTER:
6 lightly beaten eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups water
Pinch of salt
FOR THE MANICOTTI:
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Meat Sauce (recipe follows)
Grated Parmesan cheese (for topping)

TO PREPARE THE RICOTTA FILLING:
Combine ingredients for the ricotta cheese mixture.

TO MAKE THE CREPES:
Mix the ingredients for the crepe batter together and let it stand 1/2 hour.

Lightly oil a small skillet. For each crepe, pour enough batter to cover bottom of skillet thinly. When top of batter is dry slide out of skillet.

TO PREPARE THE MANICOTTI:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Spoon a layer of Meat Sauce in a 13x9x2-casserole dish.

Put a crepe on a plate. Fill with 2 tablespoons Meat Sauce, 2 tablespoons mozzarella cheese, and 2 tablespoons of the ricotta cheese mixture. Fold crepe burrito style. Place on the sauce in the casserole dish. Repeat with remaining crepes, placing them side-by-side in the casserole. Top crepes with Meat Sauce. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese.

Bake at 350 degrees F until bubbly or until cheese melts - about 1/2 hour.

MEAT SAUCE

"To make meatless sauce just omit the ground round and the Italian sausage."

3/4 pound ground round - always use a leaner cut of meat when adding pork to the recipe - use ground round or sirloin to lower fat content
3/4 pound Italian sausage - hot or mild
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce
1 (12 ounce) can tomato paste
1 tomato paste can of water
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
Pinch of salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon sugar
2 bay leaves

In a large saucepan brown the ground round, sausage, onion and garlic until the sausage is thoroughly cooked.

Add the remaining ingredients for the sauce; cover and simmer 1 1/2 hours.

TIPS:
- Always use a wooden spoon to stir sauce because a metal spoon can transfer the taste of metal to the food.
- When cooking with tomatoes always add a pinch of basil.

Makes 6-8 servings
Adapted from source: Recipes My Nonna Taught Me by Fran Hall