thd best manicotti you've ever et!

8/8/2019 Thd Best Manicotti You've Ever ET!

1/4

Mary Sica made the best Italian food, and she wasn't even

Italian! Her MANICOTTI (ponounced Managawt) was light and

oh so tasty not too oily, not too cheesy not TOO anything but

JUST RIGHT.

I tried, unsuccessfully, to discover her MAGIC SECRET

something I believed every chef had! But lo, I never

discovered hers. First, I thought it had to be her SAUCE! So

rich and tomato-y. But it wsn't ONLY the SAUCE. Then I

thought the magic must be in the Manictti crepe not noodle...

So light and melty, But it wasn't only that. Coul it be Both,

together?

That's when I learned that the goodness of a recipe could be

the simple result of the person who took the time and care to

cook it according to will and intention. Mary gave me her

recipe in approximate amounts of course, nothing was

measured. Ive tried the recipe enough times to get these

ingredients to work. Its a lot of work to make Mary Sicas


2/4

manicotti, but well worth the effort.

Marys Tomato Sauce:

1 tbsp Olive oil

4 cloves Garlic, chopped or minced

1-1/2 lb. Sweet Italian sausage, cut into 3-inch

lengths

1 Onion or 3 shallots, chopped

1 tbsp Oregano

1 16-oz can Progresso tomato puree

1 16-oz can Water

1 16-oz can Progresso whole tomatoes, cut into 1/2-

inch pieces

10-12 Meatballs (see recipe)

Saut garlic and onion or shallots in olive oil in a heavy pot for

3-4 minutes. Add sausage pieces and saut over medium heat

with onions and garlic until slighlty browned. Add oregano,

and stir. Add puree, water, and tomatoes and stir all

ingredients together. Add meatballs on top, spoon sauce over

them, cover pot, and cook on low heat for approximately one

hour. Sauce is done when meatballs are cooked through.

Meatballs:


3/4

3/4-lb Chopped meat (beef, or a combination of

beef, veal, and pork)

1 C Bread cubes

2 Eggs1/2 C Parmesan or Romano cheese

4 cloves Garlic

1/4 C Fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp

1 Tbsp Oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients together and form into meatballs

approximately 1-1/2 in. in diameter.

Crepes:

6 Eggs

3 C Flour

4 C Cold water

6 tsp Romano cheese, grated

1/2 tsp Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1/2 stick Melted butter

Mix all ingredients until they form a smooth batter. Pour 1/4-1/2

cup of batter into a hot crepe pan or skillet, and let sit until you


4/4

see small bubbles arising on top. Gently flip the crepe and

cook for another 2-3 minutes, or until the crepe is slightly

brown or golden. Repeat for entire batch, cooking each crepe

on at a time. Lay crepes between layers of waxed paper and

set aside. These can be made a day in advance.

Filling:

16 oz. Pot cheese

8 oz. Mozarella cheese, grated3 oz. Parmesan or Romano cheese

2 Eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Pepper

1/4 C Fresh parsley, chopped

Mix all ingredients together until well blended. If mixture

appears runny, add more mozarella cheese. Place

approximately 1/4 cup of mixture onto the middle of a crepe,

fold sides over, and place in a baking dish thinly lined with

tomato sauce. When dish is full, cover crepes with tomato

sauce, cover dish with foil, and bake at 350-400 for 1/2-hour.

thd best manicotti you've ever et!

Documents