Manicotti
Manicotti – which roughly means “sleeves” – can be a filled crepe or rolled pasta. The Italian version of crepes are called crespelle. For this version either can be used and are equally delicious. Here they are filled with creamy ricotta, spinach, and mozzarella mixture. You can buy fresh, high quality ricotta, but making it is very simple and worth trying.

Serves four

For the crespelle 
  • 1 large egg
  • 5 ounces flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup whole milk, plus more as needed to thin the batter
  • canola oil, to lightly grease pan 
or Fresh pasta
  • 8 oz Flour
  • 1 egg
  • 2 oz water
  • Pinch of salt

FOR THE SAUCE
  • 2 T extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 small yellow onion, diced (about ¾ cup)
  • 2 garlic cloves, peeled and sliced 
  • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tablespoon dried basil
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • pinch of cayenne or chili flakes 
  • 16 oz canned diced tomatoes
  • 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

FOR THE FILLING
  • 8 ounces fresh ricotta cheese (homemade recipe below)
  • 1 large egg, lightly beaten
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil    
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced (about 2 teaspoons)
  • 6 ounces fresh spinach leaves (about 2 quarts loosely packed leaves)
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • 3 oz mozzarella
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

TO ASSEMBLE
  • 2 cups marinara sauce
  • 3 oz mozzarella
  • 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

CREAMY HOMEMADE RICOTTA
  • 3 cups whole milk
  • 3/4 cup heavy cream
  • ½ cup buttermilk
  • 3/8 teaspoon salt 

For crespelle
  1. Add the ingredients to the bowl of a blender. Blend, adding more milk if necessary, until batter is a thin, almost runny consistency. 
  2. Heat a nonstick 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Brush pan lightly with oil, if needed. Hold pan at an angle, and swirl pan as you pour in enough batter to coat bottom of skillet. Cook 30 to 45 seconds, flip and cook for 15 more seconds. Transfer to a flat dish or tray. 
  3. Repeat with remaining batter. You should have 8 to 10 "shells" by the end. 
For pasta
  1. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix in food processor or by hand.
  2. Lightly knead and let rest for one to twenty-four hours.
  3. Divide into egg size pieces and process through pasta machine. Roll out to medium thickness and cut into 4x4 inch squares.
  4. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Working in batches, add pasta squares to boiling water, 4-6 at a time. Cook for 30 seconds, then, using tongs, transfer to a clean kitchen towel to drain, laying them out in a single layer. Repeat until all pasta squares are cooked, reserving boiling water for cooking spinach. Set aside, keeping squares separated from each other.

For Sauce
  1. In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. 
  2. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. 
  3. Add the oregano, cayenne (if using) and basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. 
  4. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. 
  5. Add vinegar and lower the heat to simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency. 
For Filling
  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until shimmering. 
  2. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until it starts to soften, about 1 minute. 
  3. Add spinach. Stir and sauté until wilted and water has cooked off, about 5 minutes. Transfer spinach to a large bowl to cool.
  4. When cool, squeeze excess liquid from spinach. Finely chop spinach and return it to the bowl.
  5. Spread ricotta on paper towels to 1/2 inch thickness and cover with paper towels, allowing to drain for 10-15 minutes.
  6. Add drained ricotta, egg, 3 oz mozzarella, and parmesan to spinach. Stir to combine, season to taste with salt and pepper.
Assembly
  1. Preheat oven to 375ºF. 
  2. Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish. 
  3. Lay pasta or crepes on a flat surface and spoon an even amount of filling in a long strip down the center of each one. 
  4. Roll crepes closed, and place seam-side down into the casserole dish. 
  5. Evenly pour remaining sauce over filled crepes. 
  6. Sprinkle remaining grated parmesan and mozzarella over top.
  7. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes. Remove foil and continue baking until cheese is well browned and bubbly, about 10-15 minutes longer. Serve immediately.

TO MAKE THE RICOTTA
  1. Combine ingredients in a 4-quart pot. Bring to a gentle boil over medium heat. Meanwhile, line a sieve or fine mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloth and place it over a deep bowl or pot.
  2. Once curds begin to separate from the whey (liquid temperature will be between 175º and 200º), remove from heat. let sit for 15-20 minutes. Gently spoon or ladle the curds into the cheesecloth-lined strainer.
  3. Let curds sit in cheesecloth to drain liquid 15 to 30 minutes, depending on how creamy you want the ricotta. Store in refrigerator up to two days.