Green Onion Manicotti
For my husband, Turner's memory of his mom's homemade manicotti is right up there with learning that Darth Vader was Lukes father. Yea, it's a big deal!
HAZLO🤓👩🍳
Green Onion Manicotti
From School House Rock to Pet Rocks, Star Wars, Atari, Smurfs and Walkmans nothing took more precedence than riding bikes with your childhood tribe...well unless you knew that your mom was making manicotti. For my husband, Turner's memory of his mom's homemade manicotti is right up there with learning that Darth Vader was Lukes father. Yea, it's a big deal!
P.S...I most assuredly put my own spin on it.
Crepes:
For the Crepes:
2 cups all-purpose flour (10 ounces; 280g)
4 large eggs
2 1/2 cups (600ml) whole milk
Kosher salt
Unsalted butter, for the pan
6 green onions, cleaned and trimmed
Crepe Filling:
2 large egg yolks, beaten to blend
1½ pounds ricotta
8 ounces mozzarella, grated
1 ounce Parmesan, grated, plus more for serving
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
16-ounce frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
(or fresh spinach, chopped and cooked down)
⅛ teaspoon grated nutmeg
Marinara Sauce:
25.5 oz jar of good marinara sauce or the following homemade:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 large white onion, finely chopped
5 garlic cloves, minced
2 (28-ounce) cans crushed tomatoes
1 (6-ounce) can tomato paste
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
½ teaspoon black pepper, plus more as needed
⅛ teaspoon sugar
4 fresh basil leaves, minced
1/2 cup cooking oil
Make the crepes:
1. Line a large plate or baking sheet with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, eggs, milk, and a large pinch of salt until smooth.
2. Thinly slice the onions. Put them in a blender with 1/4 cup of batter. Turn the blender on low and slowly increase the speed to medium for 10 seconds until you have a smooth puree. Mix with batter then cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
3. Heat a 10-inch nonstick or crepe pan over medium-high heat. Add a small pat of butter and cook until melted, swirling to fully coat pan.
4. Add a ladleful of batter (about 3/4 cup; 175ml) to pan and immediately swirl to form a large, thin pancake. Cook until top of crepe begins to look dry and bottom is starting to brown, about 1 minute. Using a spatula, make sure crepe is free of pan, then flip with a spatula or your fingertips. (You can also toss and catch the crepe if you feel comfortable doing that.) Cook until second side is lightly browned, then transfer to parchment-lined plate or baking sheet.
5. Continue making crepes with remaining batter, adding more butter to pan each time and stacking crepes as you go. Set aside.
Make the filling:
1. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, the remaining two eggs, the parsley, 1 teaspoon salt, the pepper and the nutmeg. Cover and refrigerate until ready to assemble the manicotti.
Assemble:
1. Spread approximately 1/3 of your manicotti sauce in an even layer on the bottom of a 12x15-inch roasting pan.
2. Spread 3 to 4 tablespoons filling down the center of a crepe. Roll it up and place it, seam-side-down, in the baking dish. Repeat with remaining crepes and filling.
3. Sprinkle the top of the dish with about 1/2 cup pecorino Romano, and a pinch of freshly ground pepper
4. Bake for 35–45 minutes. and continue baking until the sauce is bubbling and the cheese is just starting to brown
5. Let manicotti cool slightly in pan to set, about 15 minutes.
Do Ahead: Filling can be made 1 day ahead; cover and chill. Manicotti can be made 1 month ahead; transfer to airtight containers or freezer bags and freeze.
