Stuffed Manicotti

I don't have a "mine" pic, but I made this last week and I want press for it.

I mean, this is basically how it looks...(SIKE) I wish, it did not look this good. But it was delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 pound fresh spinach, stems trimmed and well washed or a 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed
• Kosher salt, plus 1/2 teaspoon
• 12 manicotti shells
• 3 cups marinara sauce, recipe follows
• 1 1/2 cups ricotta cheese (about 1 pound)
• 1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (about 4 ounces)
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese or a mixture of half Pecorino and Parmesan
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 teaspoons unsalted butter, diced

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil over high heat, and season generously with salt. Fill a medium bowl with ice water and season with salt, as well. Boil the spinach, uncovered, until tender, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon, (do not drain), and immediately plunge the spinach into the ice water. Drain and squeeze the excess water from the spinach, and finely chop. Alternatively, if using thawed spinach, simply squeeze, and finely chop.

In the same large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta shells until al dente, tender but still slightly firm. Drain and pat dry.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

Cover the bottom of a 9- x 13-inch ovenproof baking dish with 1 cup of the marinara sauce. In a medium mixing bowl, evenly combine the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/3 cup of the Parmesan, the eggs, and the spinach. Season with the 1/2 teaspoon salt, nutmeg, and pepper to taste. Spoon the cheese mixture into the manicotti shell and line them up in the baking dish. Cover with the remaining sauce. Scatter the remaining cheese on top and dot with the butter. Bake for 30 minutes. Serve immediately.

• MARINARA SAUCE
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 medium onion, diced (about 3 tablespoons)
• 3 cloves garlic, chopped
• 3 1/2 cups whole, peeled, canned tomatoes in puree, (one 28-ounce can), roughly chopped
• Sprig of fresh thyme
• Sprig of fresh basil
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Saute the onion and garlic, stirring, until lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the tomatoes and the herb sprigs and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Remove and discard the herb sprigs. Stir in the salt and season with pepper to taste. Use now, or store covered in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.

Yield: 3 1/2 cups

Conclusion:

LOVED IT!

Chicken Castellina

How it's supposed to look:

How Mines looks

So, the Olive Garden has recipes. Yup, recipes for food. I have been cooking from the website nonstop and here is the first meal I tied from there.

Chicken Castellina

Prep Time:	25 minutes
Cook Time:	25 minutes
Serving Size:	4 8 12

Ingredients
Sauce
1/4 cup pancetta (or bacon), diced
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
1 tsp garlic, chopped
¼ cup sun-dried tomatoes, diced
1 ½ cups heavy cream
1 ½ cups milk
1 oz cornstarch
¼ cup Parmesan cheese, grated
½ cup smoked Gouda cheese, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, chopped
8.5 oz can sliced artichokes, drained
1/4 tsp pepper
¼ cup mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 lbs pasta of choice, cooked according to package directions

Chicken
1 1/2 lbs skinless/boneless chicken breasts, cut in 1 - 1 ½” pieces
¾ cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
3 Tbsp olive oil
¼ cup white wine

Fresh parsley, chopped (for garnish)

Procedures
Sauce

1. SAUTÉ pancetta (or bacon) in a 3-qt sauce pan or large pot, over medium/high heat until crisp and golden brown. Reduce heat, add butter and allow it to melt. Add garlic and sun-dried tomatoes. Sauté for approximately one minute, stirring frequently (do not brown).
2. WHISK in cream, milk and cornstarch. Raise heat to medium/high. Whisk in Parmesan and Gouda cheeses. Once cheese melts, add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil, stirring continuously.
3. REMOVE from heat and let stand uncovered.

Chicken

1. MIX flour with salt and pepper. Coat chicken in seasoned flour, shaking off excess flour.
2. HEAT olive oil in large sauté pan. Add chicken in a single layer and cook until golden brown on both sides (approximately 7 minutes total). Juices should run clear.
3. ADD wine to chicken in pan (caution: there will be a low flame in pan). Toss gently until wine is evaporated. Add sauce and bring to a boil on medium/high heat.
4. TRANSFER drained, cooked pasta to large platter. Evenly distribute chicken and sauce over pasta.
5. GARNISH with chopped parsley and serve.

Conclusion:

I used Penne instead of bowtie, and I have the unfortunate urge to never listen to directions. They always say pour the sauce over the pasta, and I always drench the pasta in the sauce. I also cooked the pasta too long, so it was super soft and stuck together.


It was the first time I've made sauce from scratch and it was great. I took a bowl to work and my friend totally chomped away at it without my permission. That's how good.