Manicotti

Crepe Batter

4 eggs
2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour (wheat or oat) See the Make Your Own entry.
salt

Filling
2 cups ricotta cheese
3 eggs
basil
oregano
salt
pepper
sauteed onion and garlic

Sauce and Topping
Prepared marinara - make it yourself or buy in a jar
Parmesan cheese


Begin by making crepes to use for the wrappers.

Mix together, but do not over beat:
4 eggs
2 cups milk
3/4 cup flour 
1/ 2 teaspoon salt

Ladle the thin batter into a large frying pan containing olive oil that has been heated for about 1 minute, and cook on a low heat. A good size is approximately 8 inches in diameter. Layer the crepes with paper toweling as you finish cooking them.

Preheat oven to 350.

Filling: Mix 16 ounces ricotta cheese, 3 eggs, a pinch of basil, a pinch of oregano, ½ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon black pepper. Add 2 tablespoons of sautéed onion and garlic.

Coat the bottom of a glass baking dish with about 1/3 cup marinara sauce. Put crepes into the dish and fill with about 3 - 4 tablespoons cheese filling. Wrap the crepe around the filling and place them seam side down in the baking dish. About one dozen filled crepes will fit into a 9 x 13 baking dish. Pour about 1 – 1 ½ cup marinara sauce over the crepes, sprinkle generously with Parmesan cheese, cover with foil and put in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove the foil, and bake for 10 more minutes.

Serve with garlic bread and salad.

In theory, there is no difference between theory and practice, but in practice, there is.
Jan L. A. van de Snepscheut