Cheese Manicotti

Menu
Bruschetta
Caesar Salad
Manicotti









Making the Sauce
In a saute pan combine the following ingredients with about 1 tablespoon of good olive oil

1/3 lb of Pancetta, diced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 medium onion, diced
Pinch of Kosher Salt
Dash of Cracked Black Pepper

Once the pancetta is browned and the onion has softened add the following ingredients. Simmer on low for at least an hour, stirring occasionally

1- 28oz can of crushed tomato

1- 28oz can of whole tomato (squeeze while adding)

a palm of kosher salt (approximately a tablespoon)

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1- 6oz can of tomato paste with Italian Herbs

15 oz water

1 tablespoon sugar

While the sauce is cooking roast 3 heads of garlic in the oven for 45 minutes to an hour.  To do this just place the heads of garlic with olive oil in aluminium foil.   Let the garlic cool down a bit before peeling away the outer layers of the skin. You should be able to squeeze out the cloves and mash slightly before adding to the sauce. Simmer sauce for another hour. Stir occasionally to break up the chunks of garlic


Bruschetta
3 plum tomatoes seeds removed, diced
1/2 small red onion, diced
4 tablespoon of fresh basil, chopped
Dash of Kosher Salt and Cracked Black Pepper
1 1/4 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1/2 tablespoon good olive oil

Slice a loaf of crusty bread with approximately 1/2 inch thickness
Place on cookie sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Toast for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees

Caesar Salad

Chop Romaine lettuce
Add croutons, some cracked black pepper and a little grated Parmigiano Reggiano
Toss with a dollop of Caesar dressing.  I used Cardini's. Their light Caesar dressing is pretty good too.

Preparing the Manicotti
Cook Manicotti noodles al dente per box instructions (I used Barilla and only made 1/2 the box or 7 shells). Let cool before stuffing

To make the filling combine in a bowl 1 pound of good Ricotta Cheese, 1 egg, 1 fresh mozzarella ball cut into small chunks, 3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, 1.5 tablespoon chopped fresh flat leaf parsley, a dash of kosher salt and cracked black pepper.

In a 9 x 13 pan, cover bottom with a couple ladles of sauce. Stuff each noodle with the filling. Cover noodles with more sauce. Slice another fresh mozzarella ball and place a slice or two over the top of each noodle.  Grate a bit of Parmigiano Reggiano.  Cook at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Overall, I think the meal turned out well. The sauce was delicious.  I normally purchase my Ricotta cheese at the deli at a local store by our house. Unfortunately they were out so I had to resort to the prepackaged Ricotta and there is definitely a big difference.  This Ricotta was much thinner than the kind I normally use.  Although the filling still had pretty good flavor. So make sure you use "Good" Ricotta cheese for the filling.

The nice thing about this meal is you can make a lot of it ahead of time.  If you have limited time you can saute the onions, garlic and pancetta ahead of time along with roasting the garlic.  The next day combine all the ingredients into a crock pot and let the sauce cook on low while you are at work.

You can also make the bruschetta topping and the toasts ahead of time.  Just wait until right before you are going to eat before plating them.  I use this bruschetta recipe all the time as an appetizer when we are having company.

Buon Appetito!!!

Flank Steak Tacos and Mojitos

Menu:
Flank Steak Tacos with Pico de Gallo and Guacamole
Spanish Rice and Black Beans
Mojitos




Flank Steak Marinade
1 tablespoon jalapeno, diced
3 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup cilantro (maybe a little more), rough chop
1 tablespoons Spanish onion, diced
Combine all ingredients above in food processor with 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Once everything is combined and chopped fairly small its done. Add this mixture to a zip lock bag along with the following:
1 teaspoon of ground cumin
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
1 teaspoon of ancho chile powder
1/4 teaspoon of onion powder
the zest and juice of 1 lime and 1 orange (I used a navel orange)
a pinch of kosher salt (approximately 1/8 teaspoon)
1 tablespoon soy sauce (I prefer the low sodium)
1 tablespoon olive oil

Add the meat approximately 6 hours prior to cooking to allow all of the flavors to sink in. I am using a flank steak that is just over 1lb. You can also prepare the marinade ahead of time.  I made mine the night before.


Pico de Gallo
The amount I made yielded approximately 3 cups, however you can obviously adjust this accordingly to make more or less.
2 cups of plum tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup Spanish onion, diced
1 tablespoon jalapeno, diced
a dash of kosher salt (approximately 1 tablespoon)
1/4 cup cilantro, rough chop
Combine all ingredients above in a bowl. You can make this the night before.

Guacamole
2 avocados, peeled and cut into chunks
1/4 cup Spanish onion, diced
1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped
1 3/4 tablespoons jalapeno, diced
1/2  lime, juiced
Dash of kosher

Smash up avocado with a fork or potato masher. Add remaining ingredients and stir.  Keep the avocado pits with the Guacamole while storing to help keep it from browning. I must give props to my sister, Becky, for prepping the guac for me :)

I cheated a bit on the Spanish Rice and Black Beans.  I made Goyo Spanish Rice (Arroz con Tomate) by following the directions on the box.  And for the black beans I opened a can of Goya Frijoles Negros and heated them up on low on the stove. 

Preparing the Tacos
Take the meat out of the fridge while you are preparing the coals on the grill to take off the chill.  My husband did the grilling. The grill was at 375 degrees. He grilled the meat on direct heat for roughly 8 minutes per side.  When the steak is finished let it rest for 10-15 minutes prior to slicing. Remember to slice against the grain.  As another option you could always cook the steak on a grill pan on top of the stove.

To warm the tortillas wrap them in aluminum foil and heat in oven at a low temp.  I used El Milagro flour tortillas and heated them at 250 degrees for approximately 15 minutes. 

Additional toppings: a dollup of Supremo Crema Rancherito (sour cream), Shredded Chihuahua Cheese, romaine lettuce

And last but certainly not least... the Mojito recipe is from foodnetwork.com.