Mala Femmena Manicotti

 JUST SAYING :  This family story and manicotti recipe won the Best Italian Cook contest at  Maggianos restaurant in Las Vegas.  

This family recipe brings back wonderful memories of me as a little girl stuffing manicotti crepes with my grandmother in her tiny kitchen in Queens, New York. In order to help get through the tedious task of filling each crepe, my grandmother would turn on the Victrola and play her favorite song Mala Femmena sung by Jimmy Roselli. We would pass the time singing along to the music and really hamming it up by using her rolling pin as a microphone and the refrigerator door handle as a dance partner, Every so often my uncle Vinnie, who lived with his family in the apartment upstairs, would come down and join in the fun. Uncle Vinnie was an amateur opera singer and had a beautiful and very powerful voice. His rendition of Mala Femmena would always bring us to tears. Although I didn't have a clue what the song was about since it was sung in Italian, I loved the drama of it all and learned to recite all the lyrics by heart.

It was not until several years later that I learned that we were all singing a song about a distraught man who was planning to kill his cheating wife! My grandmother shared with me her enjoyment of cooking along with her delicious recipes and old world cooking techniques. I hope you will try her fabulous manicotti. They are as light as a feather and will melt in your mouth.

If you can dedicate a lazy afternoon, I suggest that you put on your favorite CD, turn up the volume, pour a nice glass of vino, get out the rolling pin and take the refrigerator out for a spin!

My Grandma (Zia) showing off her moves:
 

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                                                                Manicotti

Pasta Crepe
5 cups flour
1 tsp salt
4 eggs
1  1/2 cups milk
3 1/2 cups water

Spray an 8-inch non-stick skillet with Pam cooking spray. When skillet is
hot pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into pan and swirl until pan is completely
coated.  Cook for about a minute and remove cooked crepe with spatula onto
kitchen towel.  Cover with another towel to prevent them from drying out.

Filling
1 can whole milk ricotta (3lbs) preferably Polly-0
3 eggs
1/2 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 cup grated Locatelli cheese
2 tbs sugar
2 - 1 lb package whole milk mozzarella preferably Polly-O

Combine ricotta with eggs (incorporate one at a time), parsley, Locatelli
cheese and sugar.  Taste for proper seasonings.  Cut mozzarella into long
slices about 1/4 inch thick.  Fill lower third of crepe with 1 tbs of prepared
ricotta and two slices of mozzarella cheese.  Roll up crepe keeping seem side
down to seal.  Cover finished crepes with kitchen towels until all crepes
are filled.  You should have about 35-40 crepes.  Place crepes on cookie
sheet or baking dish lightly sprayed with Pam.  Freeze crepes. Once crepes
are frozen you can re-package them in plastic bags for easy storing.

Cooking Manicotti
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Let frozen manocotti stand at room temperature
for about 30 minutes.  Spray Pam on bottom of glass baking dish.  The
size will depend on how many you plan to make.  You may need several
dishes if you decide to use all in the prepared recipe.  Place manicotti seem side
down onto baking dish.  Spoon tomato sause over manicotti making sure entire
surface and edges are covered.  Cook uncovered until bubbly (app. 30 minutes).
Let cooked manicotti rest for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with freshly grated
Locatellii cheese and sprigs of fresh basil leaves.  Bon Appetite!!

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STILL MAKING THOSE MANICOTTI MEMORIES!  THANKS GRANDMA!

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