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Submitted By: Raffaella Volpe |
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Raffaella is a nun turned accountant who was born to a long line of Italian cooks. In an "aha!" moment, she replaced her lasagna noodles with the manicotti crepes her family often made, and the result was nothing short of divine. Besides her culinary pursuits, she is a wife, mother and grandmother, so the family gift of cooking will continue to be passed down.
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From the home of one of America's most famous Italian-American populations, one of the best lasagnas ever.
However, this is lasagna with a twist: It's made with crepes instead of pasta. Raffaella insists it's the lightest lasagna you'll ever taste.
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Sauce
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 pound Italian turkey sausages, casings removed
3 14½-ounce cans diced tomatoes with Italian herbs
¼ cup finely chopped fresh parsley
¼ cup finely chopped fresh basil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Crepes
1½ cups all purpose flour
1½ cups water
6 large eggs
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½ teaspoon salt
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Assembly
2 pounds whole-milk ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Pecorino Romano cheese
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
1 pound (two 8-ounce packages) shredded
Italian cheese mixture
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8 to 10 servings
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For sauce: Heat olive oil in heavy large pot over
medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté
until onion is tender, about 8 minutes. Add sausage
and sauté until no longer pink, about 4 minutes. Add
tomatoes with their juices, parsley, and basil. Season
with salt and pepper. Simmer until slightly thickened,
stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes.
For crepes: Combine flour, 1½ cups water, eggs, and
salt in large bowl; whisk until well blended. Heat 10-inch-diameter nonstick crepe pan or skillet over
medium-high heat until pan is very hot. Spray skillet
with nonstick spray. Ladle batter (about ½ cup) into
skillet, swirling skillet until batter coats bottom of
pan; pour off excess batter. Cook until edges are dry.
Turn crepe over and cook 30 seconds. Turn out onto
plate. Repeat with remaining batter. |
To assemble: Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix ricotta
and next 7 ingredients in large bowl. Ladle ¼ of
sauce onto bottom of 13x9-inch glass baking dish.
Line bottom of pan with crepes (crepes will overlap).
Top with half of ricotta mixture. Cover with ¼ of
sauce. Sprinkle with ⅓ of shredded cheese. Layer
with crepes. Top with remaining ricotta mixture.
Cover with ¼ of sauce. Sprinkle with ⅓ of cheese.
Layer with crepes (some crepes might not be
needed). Cover with remaining sauce. Sprinkle
with remaining cheese. Place dish on baking sheet.
Bake 1 hour. Let stand 20 minutes before cutting
into squares. (Can be prepared 3 days ahead. Cover
and refrigerate. Reheat before serving.) |
Serve with red wine, such as Zinfandel or California
Sangiovese. |
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Celebrating 50 YEARS OF THE BUILT-IN OVEN
