Manicotti with leftover beef
Description
This is a recipe that was born out of a little desperation. I had made 4 pounds of sauerbraten that turned out to be practically inedible and I really didn't want to have to toss all that meat. The main problem with the meat was that in spite of having marinated for days and then braised for hours, it was dry--and I mean dry as dust! And...kinda sour... I mean, duh--sauerbraten--am I telling you something?
I needed to find a way to add moisture to the meat to make it into something that didn't stick in your gullet on the way down, let alone be in any way enjoyable to eat.
I decided to add the much needed moisture by making a filling for manicotti out of it. I mixed it with ricotta cheese, mozzarella cheese, an egg and some Italian spices to take the edge off the sourness of the meat. I reasoned that any residual sourness would be further masked by the acid in the basic tomato sauce that I used as a topping for the dish.
The result is a very serviceable recipe for any leftover beef (or really, pretty much any leftover meat) with which you might find yourself. The sauerbraten filling did turn out a little more sweet/sour than I would have liked, but it was far more enjoyable as a filling for manicotti than it was as a main dish on its own.
Ingredients
Instructions
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Preheat oven to 350*. Heat water in a large stock pot and cook manicotti pasta tubes to "al dente" according to the manufacturer's specifications. Don't cook beyond al dente because the tubes will become fragile and more difficult to fill.
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In a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and garlic, and saute for a few minutes until the onion turns transparent and the garlic is very fragrant, but not browning. Add the chopped meat and seasonings and saute for a few minutes, stirring frequently, to give the ingredients and flavors a chance to meld. Since the meat is already cooked, this step will only need a few minutes. Give it a quick taste for seasonings and add more salt or pepper as needed.
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Transfer the meat mixture to a large bowl and let cool for a few minutes. Add the ricotta and the mozzarella and mix well. Crack the egg into a small bowl and whisk. When the meat is cool enough to handle the addition of the egg, add the egg and mix well.
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Using a teaspoon, a piping bag or even a ziplock bag with a corner cut out of it to fill the pasta. I found that a teaspoon worked just fine--my pasta tubes more or less stayed in one piece and were just slightly undercooked.
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Spread about half the tomato sauce in a layer on the bottom of a large casserole dish. As you fill the manicotti tubes, place them on top of the layer of tomato sauce.
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Top the filled tubes with the rest of the tomato sauce and the rest of the mozzarella cheese. Cover with aluminum foil and place in the pre-heated oven for 30-45 minutes, until the cheese is melty and beginning to brown.
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