Stuffed Manicotti with Fresh Tomatoes

I decided this morning that today was as good a day as any to reorganize our cabinets. I like to collect glass jars to use for storage, rather using than plastic containers that seep BPAs and chemical flavors into foods. It’s also a good way to reuse perfectly good glass jars and keep them from becoming the stuff of landfills. So, I went though and put any unsealed items into jars. It looks pretty spiffy now actually (see pic). Thought I’d share my eco-friendly frugal tip as nod to good ol’ Earth Day.

While I was reorganizing the cabinets, I came across a box of manicotti shells that I had apparently forgotten. There had originally been 14 shells in the box and there were 5 left. Not sure why I would have used only 9 at one point, but these things happen. This recipe calls for 5 manicotti shells, but you can always double or triple the recipe to stuff more.

Manicotti are great for a main dish, or for an opener served one by one. Rather than making sauce, I like to up the freshness factor by simply dicing tomatoes, tossing them with olive oil, salt and oregano, and covering the manicotti. The tomatoes cook in the oven with the manicotti and everyone’s happy.

Stuffed Manicotti with Fresh Tomatoes – makes 5 manicotti

5 manicotti shells
2 C chopped tomato
1 T oregano
2 T olive oil
1 C ricotta cheese
2 eggs
1/2 C Parmesan cheese
1/2 t salt

Boil the shells 6 minutes. Drain and cool.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Combine tomatoes, oregano, olive oil and salt to taste.

In another bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, half of the Parmesan and salt. Spoon this mixture into a pastry bag or a plastic zip-top bag with a corner snipped.

Stuff the shells with the ricotta mixture by pressing it through the bag.

Arrange the shells in a shallow baking dish. Top with tomato mixture. Bake for 30 minutes. Top with the remaining Parmesan cheese and bake 10 minutes more.

Ingredient origins: Manicotti – Italy, tomatoes – Maine; oregano – Unknown; olive oil – Italy; ricotta – Wisconsin; eggs – New Hampshire; Parmesan Cheese – Italy; sea salt – Italy

Vegetarian Lasagna

Making lasagna is like planning a wedding. There are thousands of varying traditions and just as many ways to go about it. Some say location and food are most important, others say music and color scheme. In the end, you just need to decide what’s most important to you.

Some prefer their lasagna with lots of veggies, others like it with beef. I like lasagna to be really saucy and cheesy – stuffed with ricotta cheese, fresh mozzarella and basil.

After years of trying various recipes, and never getting the cheesy result that I wanted – always too noodley, too saucy, too vegetabley – I finally decided to set out on my own. Another thing (and then I promise to get off my lasagna recipe roasting soap box) is that every recipe I’ve ever tried calls for either too many or too few lasagna noodles. Too many and you then have to scramble to mix up more ricotta to make a second batch in whatever other baking pan you have lying around. Too few and you end up with a soupy lasagna.

My lasagna uses a count of twelve 12″ lasagna noodles (you’ll end up with a few in the cabinet later, but it’s a small price to pay for a good lasagna). This recipe also uses more ricotta cheese than most, as well as a good amount of Bechemel. The result is that rich, thick lasagna that you’d find in a good Italian-American restaurant. Great for winter when fresh veggies aren’t available, because the sauce can be made with either fresh or canned tomatoes.

Vegetarian Lasagna – serves 12

12 – 12″ lasagna noodles (this length is pretty standard)
3 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below)
3 cups Bechemel sauce (see recipe below)
1 – 32 oz tub of Ricotta Cheese (I prefer full fat over skim which can become chalky)
1/4 C fresh chopped basil
2 eggs
1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
1 lb fresh mozzarella, thinly sliced
2 T olive oil

Start off by make the sauces (instructions below).

While the tomato sauce simmers and the Bechemel gradually thickens over a very low heat, cook the lasagna noodles about 2 minutes less than instructed and be sure to not allow the water to get to a rolling boil. This ensures that the pasta does not over cook and the decorative ruffles stays intact. Drain and rinse.

Beat eggs in a large bowl. Mix in the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, basil and parsley.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Begin the layers by spreading the bottom of a 13×9 inch lasagna pan with half of the Bechemel sauce. Arrange lasagna noodles at the bottom of the pan so that they overlap – 4 per layer. It’s okay if the noodles are a little short. Just center them and they will continue to grow as they cook and absorb more liquid.

Spread one half of the ricotta mixture over the lasagna noodles. Top with half of the tomato sauce. Cover with another layer of lasagna noodles.

Arrange half of the mozzarella slices over the noodles. Cover with the rest of the Bechemel and then ricotta mixture. Top with the last four lasagna noodles.

Finally, cover the top with the rest of the tomato sauce and artfully arrange the rest of the mozzarella slices. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Bake for 45 minutes. Allow to rest 10 minutes before serving.

Bechemel Sauce – makes about 2 1/2 cups

1/4 cup salted butter (1/2 stick)
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk

Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. When it bubbles, add flour. Stir over medium heat to form a golden paste. Lower heat and gradually add milk 1/2 cup at a time, whisking each addition until smooth. Keep on very low heat, as you prepare the other lasagna ingredients, whisking occasionally to keep from separating or turning lumpy. Raise heat and whisk to thicken just before assembling the lasagna.

Yankee Cook’s Quick Tomato Sauce – makes about 4 cups

1 T olive oil
1/4 C chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, pressed or smashed and finely diced
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes
2 T tomato paste
1/3 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 t sugar

Heat olive oil in a 2 quart saucepan over a medium flame. Add onions and cook until transparent, but not browned. Add garlic and carrots and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in tomato paste, stock until well combined. Stir in tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Ingredient origins – Lasagna Noodles – Italy, Canned organic tomatoes – California; Olive oil – Italy, Organic onion – unknown; Garlic – Chile; Carrot – unknown; Tomato paste – unknown; Vegetable stock – my own; Sugar – Florida; Butter – Maine; Flour – Vermont; Milk – Vermont; Ricotta – Wisconsin; Basil – Massachusetts; Eggs – New Hampshire; Parmesan Cheese – Italy; Mozzarella – Vermont

Cheese Platter Cheese and Chicken Casserole

Cheese platters are like the theater and you my friend, are the director. Your job is to entertain and indulge your audience. Who doesn’t love discovering a new cheese? This is your opportunity to share your discoveries with guests. I always go for variety in taste and texture. At least one mild, one medium and one strong. At least one soft-ripened (brie, camembert, triple crème, fromage d’affinois) or surface-ripened (these are the delicate, sometimes tiny ones with the soft skin, like cabécou). At least two semi-soft (i.e., havarti), semi-hard (cheddar) or washed rind (morbiere) and maybe a fresh (chévre) or a blue (roquefort). Anyway. I digress and believe me chickadee, I could go on about cheese!

If you put out a holiday cheese platter and are now left with a whole slew of cheeses and you’re all cheese-and-crackered out, this is a good way to use them up. The cheese sauce is made with a light roux to smooth out the melting, so it should work with most of the common cheese platter players. I chose a smoked Vermont cheddar, a semi-soft aged chèvre from Holland and a soft-ripened triple crème from France.

Use what you’d like for this recipe. The only guideline I’d recommend is to use two semi-soft or semi-hard cheeses and one soft-ripened cheese to get the right saucy consistency. I wouldn’t recommend using Jarlsberg because it tends to get stringy as it melts.

Cheese Platter Cheese and Chicken Casserole – serves 2 – 4

2 C dry short pasta or shells
2 C cooked chicken meat, loosely chopped
1 T butter
1 T flour
3/4 C milk
3 oz smoked cheddar or smoked gouda, finely diced
3 oz milder semi-soft or semi-hard cheese, (fontina, gruyère, emmentaler, havarti, etc.), finely diced
3 oz soft-ripened cheese (brie, camembert, etc) rind removed
Salt to taste
Freshly ground pepper

Cook the pasta as directed.

Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.

In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. When it bubbles, add flour and stir with a whisk for about 2 minutes until light golden brown. Gradually add milk, stirring with whisk for about 3 – 4 minutes until the sauce is smooth and begins to thicken. Add cheeses and stir with a wooden spoon until melted. Season the sauce to taste.

Combine chicken and pasta in a small casserole dish. Pour sauce over the mixture and toss to coat. Top with a few turns of freshly ground pepper. Bake for 35- 45 minutes until the top is golden brown and the sauce is bubbling.

Ingredient Origins: Butter – Maine, Flour – Vermont, Milk – Vemont, Smoked Cheddar – Vermont, Chèvre – Holland, Triple crème brie – France

Vegetable Garden Pasta

Vegetable Garden Pasta gets its name from the raw veggies that star in the dish. The pasta sauce takes less than 20 minutes so that the tomatoes and carrots retain their vitamins and minerals. A quick, covered simmer allows the vegetables to soften in a shorter amount of time than tomato sauce recipes that stew uncovered for several hours. Give the sauce a quick mash, to get a smoother consistency.

The spinach and red onion are left raw and tossed into the dish, adding color and that “put hair on your chest” onion goodness. It’s been said that raw onions and garlic contain compounds that fend off the cold and flu. Carrots add vitamin A, along with a gentle sweetness to cut the tomatoes’ acidity.

Vegetable Garden Pasta – serves 2 – 4

1 T olive oil
1/4 C chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, smashed and finely diced or pressed
1/4 C carrots, finely chopped
4 medium tomatoes, diced
2 T tomato paste
1 C chicken or vegetable stock
1 T chopped red onion
1/2 C baby spinach
1/2 lb. dry pasta
2-4 T Parmesan cheese

Heat olive oil in a 2 quart saucepan over a medium flame. Add onions and cook until transparent, but not browned. Add garlic and carrots and cook for one minute. Add tomatoes, tomato paste and stock. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer 10 minutes.

Cook pasta as instructed. Drain and pour into a covered casserole dish. Toss with onions and spinach, cover to allow both vegetables to steam slightly by the pasta’s heat.

Pour sauce over pasta, toss well and serve with grated Parmesan cheese.

Ingredient origins: Olive oil – Spain; Garlic – New Jersey; Onions, Carrots, Tomatoes – New Hampshire; Spinach – Maine; Pasta and cheese – Italy

Pasta with Maine Smoked Salmon, Arugula and Pine Nuts

This is a hearty, nutritious pasta dish that can be made in under a half hour. Pine nuts contain vitamins A, E and K, niacin and folic acid. Arugula also offers vitamins A, K and folic acid along with calcium, iron, zinc and potassium and salmon offers omega-3. The sweetness of the pine nuts compliments the smoked salmon’s briny tang, and the Mornay sauce mellows the arugula’s pungency. I didn’t take pictures of the process because I thought it was too simple to post here – it’s not like the pasta is homemade. But it turned out to be really good and so I decided to share it.

Like anything else, I prefer to use all natural smoked salmon made without coloring. I’ve had pretty good luck with Ducktrap River from Maine – good flavor, not too oily and never stringy or tough – but I’m sure there’s an equally good smoked salmon purveyor near you. Enjoy.

Important: If you make this, be sure the check the country of origin on your pine nuts.  “Pine nut-associated cacogeusia” is a disorder came to light last winter that causes some people to experience a metallic taste in their mouth for up to two weeks after eating some pine nuts. The problem appears to be associated with pine nuts sourced from China. From what I understand, pine nuts from Italy have not caused the disorder. Just be warned. If you’re not into risking it, a good substitute in this recipe would be chopped walnuts.

Pasta with Maine Smoked Salmon, Arugula and Pine Nuts – serves 4-6

1/2 lb dry short pasta
3 C arugula, chopped
1 t olive oil
6 ounces smoked salmon, cut into small squares
1/4 C raw pine nuts
1 1/2 C Mornay Sauce (recipe follows)

Start by cooking the pasta for 1 – 2 minutes less than directed (it will continue to cook as it steams the arugula). Drain, rinse, and pour into a large casserole dish with a lid. Drizzle with a little olive oil, add the arugula and gently toss. Cover to allow the arugula to lightly steam with the hot pasta.

Meanwhile, make the Mornay sauce (recipe below).

Toss the salmon and pine nuts with the pasta, add the sauce and toss to coat.

Mornay Sauce – about 1 1/2 cups

1 T butter
1 T flour
1 C milk
1-2 T grated Pecorino Romano or Parmesan cheese
salt to taste

In a small saucepan, melt butter. When it begins to foam, stir in the flour. Allow to cook, stirring with a wire whisk for about 2 minutes. Stir in milk and allow to thicken, then stir in the cheese. Season with salt.

Ingredient Origins: Pasta – Iowa, Organic arugula – Maine,Olive oil – Italy, Smoked Salmon – Maine, Butter – Maine, Flour – Vermont, Organic milk – Vermont, Pecorino Romano cheese – Italy, Pine nuts – Italy