RICOTTA AND PROSCIUTTO MANICOTTI

 

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Yield: 4-6 servings
 
Culinary tips:

PASTA 101: Do not overcook the pasta shells. Not only will they cook more in the oven, but if over-cooked, they will be very hard to fill.

No piping bag needed: roll filling into cigar-shaped tubes for easy assembly of your manicotti.

Ingredients:
1 Lb. manicotti pasta
15-oz. container whole-milk ricotta cheese
½ c. mozzarella cheese
½ c. freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus an additional ¼ cup
1 large egg
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
5 oz. prosciutto, chopped
1 1/2 c. Fabio’s Marinara sauce (recipe below)
fresh basil leaves

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, and bring a large pot of salted water to boil.
Line a baking sheet with foil.
Cook manicotti in large pot of boiling salted water until half-cooked, about 6 minutes, and drain.
Transfer manicotti from pot to prepared baking sheet and allow to cool.
Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, mix together ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan and egg.
Season to taste with salt and pepper, and stir in chopped prosciutto.
Cover the bottom of a baking dish.
Roll out small portions of the filling into cigar-sized tubes.
Slide the filling tubes into each piece of pasta, making sure that each manicotti is stuffed from end to end.
Arrange pasta in a single layer on top of the marinara.
Spoon remaining sauce over the manicotti.
Top with fresh basil leaves and the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Bake manicotti uncovered, until heated through and sauce is bubbling, about 20-30 minutes.
Let manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.

MANGIA!

Fabio's Marinara sauce

 

Fabio gives us his tricks & tips on using tomatoes and creates a flavorful, super-simple marinara sauce with fresh garlic and canned tomatoes.

Tips and secrets :

• Slice tomatoes with a very sharp knife to keep in the juices
• How to refresh overripe tomatoes
• For sauce, 90% of the time canned is better because it contains more flavor. Use canned variety packed in tomato juice not water.
• Crush the tomatoes yourself as one of the last steps to maintain deep flavor.
• Prepare an Italian tomato sauce with olive oil. When the oil starts to turn red in color the sauce is finished cooking.

The Perfect Tomato Sauce

Recipe by Fabio Viviani

Cook time: 10 Minutes
Yield: 2 Cups of Sauce

Ingredients:

6 cloves garlic
6 Tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
28 oz can of whole plum tomatoes (packed in only tomato juice)
salt and fresh cracked pepper to taste
3-4 leaves fresh basil for garnish
Method:

Smash 6 cloves of garlic with the back of a knife.

Over medium heat, cook garlic in 3 Tbsp. of EVOO until golden brown.

Add tomatoes and generous pinch of salt and pepper.

Cook until thick (about 8 to 10 minutes) and is no longer watery in consistency.

Add 3 more Tbsp. more of EVOO, turn to higher heat.

Crush tomatoes with the back of a wooden spoon.

Cook until the oil turns red. This will tell you the sauce is done!

Cook's Note: The sauce is very versatile and can be used with any pasta; added to meats, fish, vegetables; or topped on toasted crostini, breads, pizza crusts.

MANGIA!