Homemade Manicotti from Pancakes

Votes: 3

How to Make - Homemade Manicotti Pancakes

Time: 2 hours 35 minutes
Complexity: easily
Servings: 8

Nutritional value per serving:

Calories 555, total fat 31 G., saturated fats 15 G., proteins 31 G., carbohydrates 39 G., fiber 5 G., cholesterol 260 mg, sodium 1094 mg, sugar 7 G.

Contrary to popular belief, traditional manicotti (also known as cannelloni) are not store-bought wide tubes, but fresh sheets of pasta or crepes wrapped around a filling. These are special thin pancakes with a high egg content that resemble macaroni when cooked. Avoid using a non-stick pan, as this will cause the crepes to brown; they should remain white. A stainless steel pan is ideal. The crepes fry perfectly even without oil. You can make them ahead of time, or even assemble the entire dish in advance and bake the manicotti just before serving.

The recipes use measuring containers with the following volumes:
1 glass (st.) - 250 ml.
3/4 cup (st.) - 180 ml.
2/3 cup (st.) - 160 ml.
1/2 cup (st.) - 125 ml.
1/3 cup (st.) - 80 ml.
1/4 cup (st.) - 60 ml.
1 tablespoon (tbsp) - 15 ml.
1 teaspoon (tsp) - 5 ml.
1/5 teaspoon (tsp) - 1 ml.

Ingredients for the recipe:

Sauce

2 cans of 800g canned peeled Italian tomatoes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 large cloves garlic, thinly sliced
A pinch of crushed red pepper flakes
3 large sprigs of basil

Pancakes

8 large eggs
2 cups premium flour
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup water

Filling

800 g whole milk ricotta
1 tbsp. grated salted fresh mozzarella (ball 220 gr.)
0.5 cup grated Parmesan + extra for sprinkling
3 tbsp. l. grated pecorino
3 tbsp finely chopped parsley
0.5 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Ingredient Substitution Suggestions

We recommend

Recipes with similar ingredients: pancakes, tomatoes, basil, Parmesan cheese, ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, eggs, milk, nutmeg

Cooking the dish according to the recipe:

Sauce:

Combine the canned tomatoes in a large bowl. Set the jars aside. Crush the tomatoes with your hands. Combine the olive oil and garlic in a medium saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the garlic is translucent and fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add the red pepper flakes and cook, stirring, for about 30 seconds, then add the tomatoes. Fill each tomato can halfway with water, stir to scrape down the sides of the can to get any remaining tomato juice, and add to the saucepan. Bring to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 35 minutes. Add the whole basil sprigs, season with salt and pepper to taste, and remove from the heat. You should have about 6 cups of sauce.
Pancakes:

Whisk the eggs, flour, milk, water, and 1 teaspoon of salt in a blender until smooth. Let sit at room temperature for 30 minutes.

Heat an 8-inch (20 cm) stainless steel skillet over medium heat (see Note). Using a ladle or measuring cup, pour 1/4 cup of batter into the center of the skillet and swirl to coat the bottom. Cook until the pancake is dry and pulls away from the sides of the pan, 1-2 minutes per side. The pancakes should not brown. It usually takes one or two tries to get the pancakes just right, so adjust the heat if necessary. Transfer the pancake to a plate. Continue cooking, stacking the pancakes. You should have about 16 good pancakes. At this point, they can be tightly wrapped and stored on a plate in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours.
Filling:

Combine ricotta, mozzarella, Parmesan, pecorino, parsley, nutmeg, 1 teaspoon salt and 3/4 teaspoon black pepper.
To assemble, preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Line the bottom of each of two 9 x 13-inch (22 x 32 cm) baking pans with 1.5 cups of sauce (you can also place basil sprigs in the bottom of the pans, if desired). Divide the filling between the crepes (about 1/4 cup per crepe) and spread it in a line down the center of each crepe. Roll them up (leaving the ends open) and place the crepes tightly in the baking pans, seam side down. Drizzle 1 cup of sauce in a single line down the center of each baking pan (the sauce will only partially cover the crepes). At this point, the manicotti can be tightly covered and refrigerated overnight; uncover the pans before baking.
Cover the pans with lids or aluminum foil and bake until the filling is heated through and the sauce is bubbling, 20-25 minutes. Remove the lid, sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, and continue baking until the cheese is melted and the edges of the crepes are golden brown, another 5-10 minutes. Reheat the remaining sauce in a small saucepan or microwave and serve with the manicotti.

Notes of a Cook

Because of the high egg content in the batter, these pancakes resemble pasta. It's important that they stay white after frying. Surprisingly, they don't stick to a stainless steel pan. The pancakes cook slowly, almost like steam, so there's no need to grease the pan; just make sure it's hot enough. Pancakes can also be cooked in a nonstick pan, but they won't turn out as well. The coating on such a pan tends to burn the eggs, giving them an odd smell and taste, and the dark surface will darken the color even before the pancakes are actually cooked.