5 Attachment(s)
Homegrown Creole Tomato Sauced Manicotti
If you grow tomatoes you know that point when you have tomatoes everywhere. We really didn't raise enough for canning but did raise enough for sharing and making some higher consumption dishes like Homemade Creole Tomato Sauce. We scalded and slipped the skins on a pile of Creole Tomatoes then I cooked then down in a big pot with basil, oregano, garlic, sea salt, coarse ground black pepper, and a couple tablespoons cane sugar for 5 hours. This really condensed & intensified the flavor. 1/2 was used in a Shrimp & 3 Cheese Smoked Sausage Red Gravy over Penna Pasta dish which was wonderful. Penne is great for loading up with sauce on the inside that explodes when you bite down on it.
I love Stuffed Manicotti so I made a pan yesterday for lunch using the Creole Tomato Sauce that now had almost a week to just get better in the fridge.
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Filling
2 Cups Whole Milk Ricotta Cheese
2 Cups Mozzarella Cheese Grated
1/2 Cup Grated Italian Cheese Blend
1 large Egg
1 Tbsp dried Parsley
1 Tbsp dried Basil
1 Tsp dried Italian seasoning
1Tsp Sea Salt
1/2 Tsp Black Pepper
1/8 Tsp Nutmeg
After folding together well with a scraper I bagged the filling and piped it into the Manicotti. After coating the bottom of the 9x13 Pyrex baking dish with some of the sauce I laid the stuffed Manicotti in till the dish was evenly covered before covering with the remaining sauce. Topping the sauce with a little more Mozzarella cheese then covering with foil.
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Into a 400 degree oven for 30 minutes then baking uncovered for a additional 5 minutes before removing to the stove top. Finishing with more grated Italian cheese and some Parsley before plating. Not wanting to blow up the Creole Tomato taste with too much cheese I kept the additional application light.
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The taste is Big - Bold - and Wonderful. This is my favorite Italian dish.
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If you end up with too many homegrown tomatoes I suggest trying cooking them down into a seasoned sauce. No canned sauce from the store compares.
