Get Baked!

I always say I am half Irish and half Italian and that my stomach resides in my Italian half.

Italian food has been a big part of my life - from my grandmother's homemade pizza and cannelloni to my mother's slow cooked spaghetti sauce to any Italian hoagie I can wrap my gluttonous little fingers around.  I enjoy preparing Italian dishes almost as much as I enjoy eating them.  Though this was my first attempt at making manicotti - and of course I had to try and twist the classic recipe and serve up something tasty and visually unique. 

RECIPE:  Baked Manicotti w/ Ground Lamb and Roasted Red Peppers  (this recipe will make a lot - probably enough for 6-8 people - or a lot of leftovers)

What's cooking an Italian dinner without a little vino to aid in the process?

First things first.  Let's get the sauce started.  I like to make a very easy red sauce that goes well with most any pasta dish. 

Sauce - (this is just the base of the sauce - so add  your own spices to dress it up as you like, because I know sauce can be a very personal thing.  I will often add red wine if I have it, perhaps a touch of balsamic vinegar if the sauce is seeming too sweet.  And always have some basil, oregano and garlic and onion powder on hand to tweak to taste):

• 3 14.5 oz. Cans of  Diced Tomatoes (if you don't want it too 'chunky' get crushed tomatoes)
• 1 Small - Finely Diced  Onion (white or yellow work just fine, but I like the bite you get from a red onion)
• 1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil - and another 1 tbsp. of olive oil for sauteing onions
• 3 Cloves Garlic Minced
• Salt to taste

1. First saute the onions in a tablespoon of olive oil and a sprinkle of salt for 5 minutes or so.
2. Toss in your garlic and stir that around and saute for another minute or two
3. Now add your tomatoes and olive oil and bring to a boil
4. Reduce heat to let simmer for 30-40 minutes stirring occasionally
5. NOTE: use a potato masher to smash down the tomatoes to get all the juice out and make it more of a 'sauce' consistency - you will want to to this a few times because it will get easier as the tomatoes cook down.  
6. Always season to taste - add spices to make it your own and figure out what you like.

CAUTIONARY TALE:  Knife safety is paramount!  My onions aren't as finely or evenly diced as I typically like because while cutting them I was distracted for a second and then proceeded to cut my thumb fairly severely - though nothing a little super glue couldn't handle.  (FYI - this was not due to the wine)

 
Manicotti:

• 1 Package of Manicotti
• 15 Oz. Ricotta Cheese (I mistakenly grabbed the low fat kind and would highly recommend the full fat version)
• 2 1/2 Cups Shredded Mozzarella (reserve a little to sprinkle on top of the dish)
• 1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan or Romano  - 1/2 for manicotti filling and half to sprinkle on top while baking 
• 1/4 Cup Chopped Fresh Parsley
• 12 Oz. Ground Lamb
• 1 Jar of Roasted Red Peppers - Drained and Finely Chopped
• 1 Egg (helps to bind everything together)
• 1 tsp. dried rosemary
• 1/3 Cup Panko for bake topping
• Salt to taste

1. Cook Manicotti according to package instructions
2. Brown lamb in skillet with rosemary and pinch of salt
3. Mix all cheeses, peppers, egg, parsley, and lamb in bowl
4. Transfer mix into pastry bag or large Ziploc bag.  If using Ziploc bag cut small piece of one of the corners off so you can use it to fill the pasta tubes more easily
5. Take your 9X13 baking dish and coat bottom with some of your tomato sauce 
6. Fill manicotti tubes with mixture and lay flat in bottom of dish. (you will see I did it a bit differently below, but trust me this is the easier way to do it)
7. Once all tubes are filled pour remaining sauce over top and cover the dish in foil and toss in 350 degree oven.
8. Cook for 30 Minutes - remove foil sprinkle remaining cheese and panko on the top and bake for 15 more minutes...and that's it.

Brown lamb - lightly salt while cooking

Mix together lamb, red peppers, ricotta, Parmesan, mozzarella, egg and parsley and mix until well blended

Cover bottom of baking dish with tomato sauce

Fill pastry bag or large Ziploc bag with filling mixture.  If using Ziploc bag cut small piece of one of the corners off so you can use to fill the pasta tubes more easily.

My visual twist turned out to be a pain in the ass.  Instead of filling the manicotti tubes and laying them flat on the bottom (traditional style), I decided to cut them in half prior to filling and then stand them up in the pan and fill them upright.  It was very tedious and rather frustrating.  While I was happy with the end product, doing it again I would prepare it more traditionally and then perhaps cut them and stand them up on the plate after it was baked. 

Last 15 minutes in the oven - topped with cheese and panko

Final plate - I also served a simple salad of baby spinach with a blue cheese and balsamic vinegar dressing.