A tasty, rainy, West Coast Christmas

Despite our best efforts to the contrary, coronavirus trapped us on the West Coast for a second year in a row. We made the most of it with a very last minute celebration with a few Argentinian friends who were also stuck in this corner of the planet. Though family was only with us on zoom, family tradition was very present as we baked the most prized of family heirlooms, my great-great-grandma Aloia's manicotti recipe. While various renditions of the family not-so-secret tradition in numerous matriarchs' handwriting circulate through the generations, now seems as good a time as ever to ensure that I've got an electronic back-up. So, though the writing of this blogpost may be anything but inspired, its contents most certainly are. Here for posterity is the Aloia Family Manicotti Recipe!

We couldn't enjoy the holiday with family but we did enjoy it with a family tradition: manicotti. Yum!

Ingredients

• 8 eggs (6 for pasta, 2 for filling)
• 1.25 cups flour
• 1.5 cups water
• 3 pounds ricotta
• handful of grated Parmesan cheese
• salt (0.5 tsp & a pinch)
• pepper (0.25 tsp)
• grapeseed oil
• 50-60 ounces of tomato sauce

Instructions

1. Whisk 6 eggs and water together.
2. Sift the flour into the mixture, continually whisking.
3. Add a pinch of salt.
4. Heat a 6.5" cast iron fry pan over medium-low heat. Use a pastry brush to coat pan with a thin coat of grapeseed oil.
5. Pour less than a quarter cup of batter into the pan, tilting to cover the bottom.
6. When the edges of the crepe begin to curl and the crepe looks solid, flip it onto the other side to cook. Do not brown the crepe.
7. Move the cooked crepe from the pan to a paper towel.
8. Repeat steps 5-7 until batter is used up. Between crepes, as needed, re-apply a light coat of grapeseed oil using the pastry brush. In all, at least 24-30 crepes should be made.
9. Mix together the ricotta, salt, pepper, 2 eggs, and Parmesan.
10. Pour a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of the baking pan to coat.
11. Fill each crepe with approximately 1 tablespoon of the ricotta cheese mixture. Fold over the sides of the crepe. Lay the crepes side-by-side in the pan.
12. Add a layer of sauce between each layer of cheese-filled crepes.
13. Pour a final layer of sauce atop the crepes. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.
14. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for about an hour or until hot in the center. Cover with foil to avoid drying out while baking.
15. Enjoy! :)

I hope your holidays have been equally delicious and filled with loved ones, be them acquaintances of the old & dear or more recent variety. Cheers to saying F-off to 2021!