Italian Dinner

Hello again!
I trust everyone is well and not running around too much and too fast. As we all know the Holidays can get that way if we let them. To all my non Christian friends I would like to my offer peace to you as well.

Ahh Italy! We were fortunate enough to visit Italy a few years ago. We flew into Milano, drove to Montalcino stayed for a couple of nights. I booked a room for us in a 500 year old hotel and we had a wine tasting in a 13th century castle. There seemed to be castles on every hilltop. It was so very very cool, which would make sense. If I were top dog in those days I would want to see who is coming to MY castle, so I could get my armor on and go out for a jousting.
 Then Roma. Rome was amazing. We even drove into it because we drove through the vineyards trying to save time and ended up driving into Rome during evening rush hour. All the time we were there we didn't have a bad glass of wine and had some amazing food and I had more than my share of gelato.
That brings me to my last dinner for a purpose, shall we say. Manicotti! A dish everyone can eat. Our 15 month old loved it! This is another dish you can cook ahead of time and re-heat it. Making it great for the
family coming home late from after school activities and work, not to mention trying to squeeze in Christmas shopping. I bought a nice jar of locally made marinara sauce our grocer carries, but your favorite brand will work just as well. I usually add about a half cup of wine and simmer it for 30 to 60 min. You can even add
 a little more basil for good measure, just to personalize it and wake it up, so to speak. Lastly I found a bottle of Rosso Di Montalcino on sale, it was a great pairing with the Manicotti.
And last but not least, Giada DeLaurentiis' recipe, was awesome and easy to make...
Recipe kindness: giadadelaurentiis.com
I hope you enjoy it as much as we did. I will post another blog in late January after taking some time for my knee to heal.

Ready for the oven  

Looking good 

Thank you very much for reading my blog. I look forward to hearing from folks and especially want to hear your comments and suggestions. Please like us on Facebook and don't forget to visit www.websterwoodcreations.com and take advantage of the Christmas sales going on now. All the best,    Mark

I hope you enjoy this scrumptious and easy to prepare meal.
Have a save and Merry Christmas.

beef and cheese manicotti

from the book, Everyday Italian. get this book >

This is a one dish meal. You can make it ahead of time and bake right before you serve it. Boy oh boy is it YUMMY!!!!

ingredients

6 servings

Beef and Cheese Manicotti 4 teaspoons olive oil 1 medium onion, coarsely chopped 1 pound ground beef Salt and freshly ground black pepper 14 (8-ounce package) manicotti 1 (15-ounce) container whole-milk ricotta 3 cups shredded mozzarella 1 cup grated Parmesan 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves 2 garlic cloves, minced 3 cups marinara sauce 2 tablespoons butter, cut into pieces

instructions

Beef and Cheese Manicotti Heat a heavy medium skillet over medium heat. Add 1 teaspoon of the olive oil, onion and ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Saute until the meat browns and the onion is translucent, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, and cool. Brush 1 teaspoon of oil over a large baking sheet. Cook the manicotti in a large pot of boiling salted water until slightly softened, but still very firm to the bite, about 4 to 6 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the manicotti from the pot to the oiled baking sheet and cool. Meanwhile, combine the ricotta, 1 1/2 to 2 cups mozzarella cheese, 1/2 cup Parmesan, and parsley. Add the garlic, salt, and pepper to taste, and mix. Stir the cooled meat mixture into the cheese mixture. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the remaining 2 teaspoons of oil over a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish. Spoon 1 1/2 cups of the marinara sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish. Fill the manicotti with the cheese-meat mixture. Arrange the stuffed pasta in a single layer in the prepared dish and spoon the remaining sauce over. Sprinkle the remaining 1 1/2 cups of mozzarella cheese, then the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmesan over the stuffed pasta. Dot entire dish with the butter pieces. Bake the manicotti uncovered until heated through and the sauce bubbles on the sides of the dish, about 30 to 35 minutes. Let the manicotti stand 5 minutes and serve.