Baked Manicotti with Sausage

Baked Manicotti with Sausage (From Cook's Illustrated)

Ingredients:

TOMATO SAUCE
2 28-ounce cans diced tomatoes
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pound Italian sausage, hot or sweet, casings removed
3 medium garlic cloves, minced or pressed (about 1 tablespoon)
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
Salt

CHEESE FILLING AND PASTA
3 cups part-skim ricotta cheese
4 ounces grated Parmesan cheese (about 2 cups)
8 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
16 no-boil lasagna noodles

INSTRUCTIONS

1. For the Sauce: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Pulse 1 can tomatoes with their juice in a food processor until coarsely chopped, 3 or 4 pulses. Transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining can of tomatoes.

2. Heat oil in large saucepan over medium-high heat, add sausage and stir to break sausage into 1/2 inch pieces, until no longer pink, about 6 minutes. Add garlic and pepper flakes to sausage and cook until fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in tomatoes and 1/2 teaspoon salt and simmer until thickened slightly, about 15 minutes. Stir in basil and adjust seasonings with salt.

3. For the Cheese Filling: Combine ricotta, 1 cup Parmesan, mozzarella, eggs, salt, pepper, and herbs in medium bowl; set aside.

4.  To Assemble:  Pour 1-inch boiling water into 13 x 9-inch broiler safe baking dish, then add noodles one at a time. Let noodles soak until pliable, about 5 minutes, separating noodles with tip of a sharp knife to prevent sticking. Remove noodles from water and place in a single layer on clean kitchen towels; discard water in baking dish and dry dish.

5.  Spread bottom of baking dish evenly with 1 1/2 cups sauce. Using soupspoon, spread 1/4 cheese mixture evenly onto bottom three-quarters of each noodle (with short side facing you), leaving top quarter of noodle exposed. Roll into tube shape rolling from the bottom up and arrange on baking dish seam side down. Top evenly with remaining sauce, making sure that pasta is completely covered.

6. Cover manicotti with aluminum foil. Bake until bubbling, about 40 minutes, then remove foil. Remove baking dish, adjust oven rack to uppermost position and heat broiler. Sprinkle manicotti evenly with remaining 1 cup Parmesan. Broil until cheese is spotty brown, watch closely. Cool 15 minutes, then serve.

Penne a la Betsy

From the Pioneer Woman website.

Ingredients

• 3/4 pounds Penne Pasta
• 1 pound Shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons Butter
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Onion (small)
• 2 cloves Garlic
• 1/2 cup White Wine, Or To Taste
• 1 can Tomato Sauce (8 Oz)
• 1 cup Heavy Cream
•  Fresh Parsley, to taste 
•  Fresh Basil - To Taste
•  Salt To Taste
•  Pepper To Taste

Preparation Instructions

Cook the penne pasta until tender-firm, also known as al dente.

Peel, devein and rinse (under cool water) 1 pound of extra large shrimp. Heat about 1 tbsp. butter and olive oil in a skillet. Add the shrimp and cook for a couple minutes until just opaque. Do not overcook them. Remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes. Now, put the cooked shrimp on the cutting board and pull off the tails. Chop the shrimp into bite –sized pieces and set aside.

Finely dice one small onion. Mince two cloves of garlic.
In a large skillet heat 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and onion and sauté, stirring occasionally. After the garlic and onions have cooked a bit add your white wine. Let the wine evaporate for a few minutes, stirring occasionally. If you would rather not use wine, you can use low-sodium chicken broth instead (about ½ cup).

Now add an 8-ounce can of plain tomato sauce. Stir well until combined. Then add 1 cup of heavy cream. Continue stirring. Turn heat down to low and let simmer.

Now chop your herbs, about a tablespoon of chopped parsley and about the same amount of chopped basil, or if you’re feeling very proper, chiffonaded.

Now add your chopped shrimp back into the tomato cream sauce. Give it a stir and add salt and pepper to taste. Throw in your herbs and stir until combined. Finally add your cooked penne pasta and give it a good stir.

John's Pizza Dough & Sauce

Adapted by John from Saveur Magazine.

Makes 4 10" Pizzas

Pizza Dough

9 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon active dry yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon kosher salt
4 cups flour

In a bowl, combine 1 tablespoon oil, yeast, sugar, salt, and 2 cups of warm water; let sit until foamy, 10-12 minutes. Stir in flour to make a dough. Transfer dough to a floured surface; knead until smooth, 8-10 minutes. Quarter dough; roll each portion into a ball. Put balls on a floured baking sheet. Cover with plastic wrap; let sit in a warm place until soft and tripled in size, 2-3 hours.

Place a pizza stone on a rack in the oven. Heat oven to 500 degrees for 1 hour. Transfer 1 dough ball to a floured piece of parchment paper. Working from center, gently flatten dough with fingertips, leaving edges thicker than middle. Stretch dough to a 10" diameter. Spread with pizza sauce (see below) and desired toppings.


Pizza Sauce

In a food processor, add one can (28 oz) whole peeled tomatoes, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 teaspoon dried basil, 2 minced garlic cloves, and half a grated onion. Puree and season with salt and pepper.