Or as Carmela Soprano would seem to say: 'manigott.' You can buy the shells or make the pasta like crepe as shown in the picture.



Broccoli Cheese Manicotti
8 ounces manicotti shells
1 (32-ounce) container ricotta cheese
1 1/2 cups (6 ounces) shredded mozzarella chesse, divided
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped broccoli, thawed and well drained
2 cups spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 9- x 13-inch baking dish with cooking spray.

Cook manicotti shells according to package directions; drain, rinse, and drain again.

In a large bowl, combine ricotta cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, the Parmesan cheese, egg, salt, and pepper. Add broccoli; mix well.

Fill each manicotti shell with about 1/3 cup cheese mixture (see Notes) and place in prepared baking dish. Pour spaghetti sauce over stuffed shells and sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until hot and bubbling.

Mastering crepes is a fun project. You can use them for entrees or desserts.

Crepes for Manicotti or Dessert

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/4 cups water
5 large eggs

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and salt in a medium bowl. Combine water and eggs in a bowl; stir well with a whisk. Add to flour mixture, stirring with a whisk until almost smooth. Let stand at room temperature 30 minutes.

Place a 10-inch crêpe pan or nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat until hot. Remove pan from heat. Pour 1/3 cup batter into pan; quickly tilt pan in all directions so batter covers pan with a thin film. Cook about 1 minute. Carefully lift edge of crêpe with a spatula to test for doneness. The crêpe is ready to turn when it can be shaken loose from the pan and the underside is lightly browned. Turn crêpe over, and cook 15 to 30 seconds. Place crêpe on a wire rack; cool. Repeat procedure until all of the batter is used, stirring the batter before making each crêpe. Stack crêpes between single layers of wax paper or paper towels to prevent sticking.

Crepes Fitzgerald

16 dessert crepes
2 tbsp. butter
3 c. fresh strawberries
4 tbsp. sugar
2 c. Philadelphia cream cheese and 1/2 c. sour cream (blend together and use for filling crepes)
2/3 c. maraschino liqueur

Prepare crepes as directed in recipe above. Fill each crepe with 1/4 cup cream cheese mixture and roll up. Place a flambe pan over an alcohol burner, add butter and allow to melt, then add strawberries. Mash the strawberries with a fork, then add sugar. Mix and cook for 3-4 minutes until the strawberries are beginning to get soft.
Place two filled crepes on each of eight plates. Add the maraschino liqueur to the sauteed strawberries and heat until quite hot. Tip the pan toward flame from burner to ignite, then allow the sauce to flame until it dies out. Tip the pan with a rolling motion to prolong flaming, if desired. Ladle the strawberries and syrup evenly over the portions of filled crepes and serve immediately. Serves 8.