BAKED MANICOTTI STUFFED WITH RAPINI

BAKED MANICOTTI STUFFED WITH RAPINI image

Number Of Ingredients 21

White Sauce (double if making 14 tubes)
1 Tbs butter
1 clove garlic minced
2 Tbs flour
2 Cups milk
½ tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
Rapini (enough filling for 14 tubes)
One bunch of rapini, bottom 1" stalks removed and washed
2 Tbs olive oil
2 cloves garlic minced
½ tsp crushed red pepper flakes
½ cup parsley minced (including stems)
1 tsp fresh thyme
Salt and pepper
1 cup ricotta
1 clove garlic
½ cup parmesan cheese
Pasta
7 Manicotti tubes to serve as a side 14 for a main dish
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese (double if making 14 tubes)

Steps:

White Sauce Sauté the garlic in butter until fragrant over medium high heat, whisk in flour and cook 1-2 min. Gradually whisk in milk and continue stirring until thickened. Add salt, pepper to taste stir. Set aside. Rapini Pre cook rapini in boiling salted water for 5 minutes to remove bitter taste. Drain and plunge into ice water to set the color and cool drain again and roughly chop. In large skillet over medium heat, sauté garlic and red pepper flakes in oil. Add rapini, parsley and thyme cook until all liquid is absorbed (10-15 minutes) stirring occasionally. Salt and pepper to taste. Place rapini, raw garlic clove, parmesan and ricotta cheese in a food processor and process until smooth. Note this makes enough for 14 tubes but is also good on baguette toasts as an appetizer and will keep in the fridge or freezer. Pasta Preheat oven to 350 Deg Cook tubes in boiling salted water for 5 minutes (I usually cook the pasta first then use the same water to cook the rapini). Remove and let cool. Using a pastry bag or simply a zip top bag with the corner cut, pipe the filling into the manicotti tubes. Place in greased ovenproof dish, top with white sauce, sprinkle with mozzarella cheese and bake for 40 minutes or until the cheese is browned and bubbly.