Baked Manicotti with Ragu Filling
Manicotti with Ragu Filling
Serves 4
2 T olive oil
1 shallot, diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1 stalk celery, finely diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp dried rosemary, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
2 strips bacon, cooked halfway through and diced
2 Tbsp Marsala wine
1/4 cup marinara sauce
3 Tbsp milk
salt & ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for topping
1/2 cup grated mozzarella, plus more for topping
1 recipe All-Purpose Pasta Dough, recipe follows.
1. Heat olive oil in a 12-inch saute pan. Add shallot, carrot and celery. Sweat veg over low heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and rosemary and cook 2 more minutes.
2. Add ground beef and bacon to brown, smashing beef into small chunks. When browned, add Marsala, marinara, milk, salt, pepper and grated Parmesan. Heat through, about 3-5 minutes. Remove pan from heat and add the grated mozzarella. Let mixture cool.
3. While ragu mixture is cooling, cut pasta dough into 3 pieces so it's easier to work with. Cover the pieces you aren't working with plastic wrap so they don't dry out. Roll cut dough using a rolling pin or pasta machine into a thin sheet. Cut pasta sheet into 6x5-inch pieces. After cutting each piece, sprinkle with a little flour to avoid sticking together, and stack pieces. When all the pieces are cut, cook the pasta squares in boiling salted water about 3 minutes. Remove to a baking sheet to cool a little.
4. Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 baking pan by spreading the bottom and sides with a little olive oil, then add about 1 cup of marinara sauce to the bottom of the pan. Place 1/3 cup of ragu in the center of each pasta square and roll up. Place in baking pan seam side down. Add more marinara sauce to the top of the rolls, and sprinkle with grated Parmesan and mozzarella.
5. Bake 20-30 minutes or until heated through and the sides are bubbly. Let rest 5 minutes and sprinkle top with julienned fresh basil.
All-Purpose Pasta Dough
Serves 2-4
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
2 Tbsp olive oil
2-3 Tbsp water
1 tsp salt
1. Place flour on work surface and make a well large enough to hold addition of eggs, olive oil, water and salt. Working inside the well, break up eggs with a fork and work a little flour into the mixture as you combine. When the wet ingredients combine with enough flour, work with hands to form dough.
2. Knead well, about 8 minutes, until dough feels a bit dry and tacky to the touch. Dough should feel smooth and pliable.
3. Cover with plastic wrap and let rest at room temperature for 1 hour.
4. If you're cutting dough by hand, sprinkle a little flour onto your surface in order to work with your dough without sticking. If you're placing dough in a pasta machine, sprinkle a little flour or cornstarch onto a large baking tray in which to place cut pasta without sticking together.
Note: This is an all-purpose dough used to create everything from noodles and macaroni to sheets of pasta for the manicotti recipe, above. The more you make pasta by hand, you'll get a feel for the dough. I don't know if it's the effect of humidity or phases of the moon, but you can add the exact same measure of ingredients and the dough will feel and act differently every time. But, it's easy to adjust with either a bit more flour or water depending if the dough is too wet or dry. And, I knead the dough for exactly 8 minutes, it seems to be just the right texture. Also, don't rush the resting time, it will take at least 1 hour for the gluten strands to relax, so the dough will roll out with ease.
Weeknight Marinara Sauce
Makes 14 cups
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 shallot, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
4 Tbsp Marsala wine
2-28 oz cans crushed tomatoes
2-28 oz canned tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
4 Tbsp each dried, oregano, basil & parsley
kosher salt & ground pepper to taste
1 tsp sugar
1/2 cup grated Romano cheese
1. Heat olive oil in large sauce pot. Add shallots and saute over low heat until soft, 5 minutes. Add garlic and heat 1 more minute. Add Marsala wine, turn up heat to med-high and reduce liquid by half.
2. Add crushed tomatoes and tomato sauce and stir into shallot mixture. Add bay leaves, herbs, salt, pepper and sugar. Bring just to a boil and reduce heat to simmer for 10 minutes. Add cheese and continue to simmer 40 more minutes so flavors combine.