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THE BATTALION
Pasta shells stuffed with cheeses, spinach and topped with sauce make a classic Italian meal
>reak
T studentsi
K limS* recipes'ingredients
the stud - if ') s ‘ 10u ' t ' ne ver be tasted indi-
he longer vidually, but when com-
:tudenttorW ne ^’ t> ecome an exquisite
complete ‘ c ' 1 ^ nar y 'Masterpiece. There is no
• e ^ j, e; , ’better example of this than spinach
oh (his '4'cheese manicotti,
life, and J Spinach, although popularized by
g.” 'everyone’s favorite squinting sailor,
does notliHas long been the bane of children of
M does. Ill ages due to its squishy texture and veggie taste. The
da, assistalxture of ricotta cheese is indescribable, and the taste is
aidA&M'luch that one can never really tell when it has gone bad.
‘ the canipij Parsley, normally viewed as little more than gar-
UlOappliaHish shoved toward the outer edges of one’s plate,
Ted studerHets a strong supporting role in this meal. Garlic
ksgivinp gives zing and a distinctive aroma to the mix.
Is can beg j., Nonetheless, combining these ingredients with
\ i i ® ver 'P°P u ^ ar mozzarella and Parmesan cheese results
ted earlyaH 1 a mca ] f lt to 5 e ea t e n on an Italian gondola or just
a first date.
sions wi H
,ssimanicotti
Iqa 0 ,, f You may be surpriseS when you go to the store to
Oonthe.-lfH orman ‘ cotl ‘ shells. These pasta pieces are cylindrical
goet^lcntainers, usually as big around as a half dollar, but
h e yate^1^ variations in size, composition and cooking meth-
" Estrada-Ids are enormous.
mtsareapf p Manicotti comes in many flavors, from normal
cr univers Vlasta to spinach to jalapeno cheese (although the latter
will takeiLMs a little hard to find outside of a big city). Some are
itionofdi. Igrooved, some are smooth and some have random
decorative imprints.
Keep in mind that you need a shell with a taste that
ill not interfere with the cheese and spinach filling,
—...anicotti is also sold in “oven ready” form, meaning it
///oijronq TiQgg not need to be boiled like raw manicotti does.
The first step to making
spinach cheese manicotti is preparing the pasta
as indicated on the package. If you buy raw pasta, the
easiest thing you can do to ruin the whole meal is to
overcook the shells. Typically, they will need only six
to eight minutes of boiling. The pasta is done when it
is very tender. Overcooking will cause it to become
rubbery.
tMJEY ATCHINSON/Thk Battalion
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If you boil the shells, let them cool for at least 10
minutes. Do not stack them; they will stick to one an
other.
In a large bowl, beat the eggs then stir in the other in
gredients. Be sure to warm the spinach before adding it
(frozen spinach does not mix well in manicotti).
Strain as much liquid from the spinach as possible.
Otherwise, the taste of the spinach will dominate the
filling.
Beat the mixture until it has a marbled look. The
marbled appearance of the filling is important to the
taste and presentation of the dish.
Many recipes for this dish do not include eggs, but
the eggs make the filling more solid after it is cooked.
Using eggs also allows for a more appetizing browned
appearance.
Next comes the fun part — stuffing the shells.
Most directions will tell you to “carefully spoon
the filling into the shells.” Careful is right —
spoon is wrong.
There is no better method to filling these shells
than just holding the shell in one hand and push
ing the filling in with the other. You will make a
mess, but this is better than demolishing the deli
cate shells with a spoon.
A friend suggested slicing the shells down the
middle and rolling the filling into them. This is a very,
very bad idea. When the manicotti is cooked, the
cheese will ooze out of the bottom of the shell.
{/ef coo Aim/
Spread a layer of red sauce on the bottom of a 2-
inch-deep pan. There are numerous possibilities for
this sauce, from mushroom to beef. If you are adven
turous, you may even attempt to make it yourself, but I
suggest using store-bought. Making sauce at the same
time as preparing everything takes too many hands.
Arrange the filled shells in a single layer in the pan
and pour some sauce on top of them. Preheat the oven
to 350 degrees, cover the pan with aluminum foil and
bake for 40 minutes.
After40 minutes, remove the foil and allow the man
icotti to bake for an additional 15 minutes.
Serve with a red wine.
e was cri*
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complaii
nvolving j,-,;
icotti
14 manicotti shells
10 oz. frozen cut spinach
1 1/3 cups (15 oz.) part-skim ricotta cheese
2 cups (8 oz.) shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 eggs
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 teaspoon garlic powder
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