Cook Me a Vision

History. I was born in Newton, Massachusetts to Sally and Sammy White. My mother was a United stewardess and my dad was a catcher for the Boston Red Sox. (Dad was a “Tiger” in the day, like the golf hero Tiger Woods…. my dad liked the girls too.

However, my dad was a solid defensive catcher, with a good arm and the ability to get the most out of a Boston pitching staff teams that include Mel Parnell, Ellis Kinder, Bill Monbouquette, Mike Fornieles and Frank Sullivan.

An All-American college basketball player at the University of Washington, he signed his first professional baseball contract with the Seattle Rainiers of the Pacific Coast League in 1949.

After the 1949 minor league season ended, the Minneapolis Lakers asked my dad to join their National Basketball Association team. But the Red Sox, who had acquired his contract during 1949, were furious and prevented dad from doing that. During his career with the Red Sox, dad opened a bowling alley.

Sammy White's Brighton Bowl not far from Fenway Park. I was looking for a picture of the bowling alley, online.  Dad sold the bowling alley in the '60s.  I remember, dad playing the saxophone in his office, while I dance for the customers in the coffee shop. 

Customers would inject quarters into the jukebox to keep me dancing to Chubby Checker's The Twist. "Come on baby...  do the twist". Memories. I can say I became a professional dancer when I was 6 years old, dancing at daddy’s bowling alley.  I wanted to be famous.

Are you hungry? I am. Let’s cook.

Jennie’s Homemade Manicotti

1 large egg, 
1 cup flour, 
1/4 teaspoon salt
, 3/4 cups goat milk, plus more as needed to thin the batter
 with canola oil, to lightly grease pan

Filling:

16 ounces fresh goat ricotta cheese (homemade recipe below), 
1 large egg, lightly beaten, 
1 teaspoon fresh chopped parsley, plus more for garnish
, 1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese  
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to tastem

Homemade ricotta recipe
, 4 cups goat's milk
, 1 cup heavy cream
, 3/4 cups buttermilk, 
1/2 teaspoon salt

Add the ricotta ingredients to a 4-quart pot and warm over medium heat. Meanwhile, line a sieve or fine-mesh strainer with a few layers of cheesecloths and place it over a deep bowl or pot.

Once the curds begin separate from the whey, (the temperature will be between 175 degrees and 200 degrees Fahrenheit), remove from the heat.

Gently spoon or ladle into the cheesecloth-lined strainer. You may need to gently the cheesecloth at the top to help the curds drain.

Let the curds drain for 15 or 30 minutes, depending on how creamy you'd like your ricotta. Store in the refrigerator for up to two days.

Add the pasta ingredients to the bowl of a blender. Blend, adding more milk one teaspoon at a time, until batter is a thin, almost runny consistency.

Heat a nonstick 8-inch skillet over medium-low heat. Brush pan lightly with oil, if needed. Hold pan at an angle, and swirl pan as you pour in enough batter to coat bottom of skillet.

Cook 30 to 45 seconds, flip and cook for 15 more seconds. And don’t forget, the first one or two might end up being sacrificial until you get the hang of swirling the pan.

Transfer to a flat dish or tray. Repeat with remaining batter. You should have 8 to 10 "shells" by the end.

Assemble

2 cups marinara sauce,  1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, 
Homemade goat ricotta.

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Spread ½ cup of marinara sauce into the bottom of a 9-inch by 13-inch casserole dish. Combine all the filling ingredients in a medium bowl (see ricotta recipe below if making from scratch); mix well.

Lay pasta crepes on a flat surface and spoon an event amount of filling in a long strip down the center of each one. Roll crepes closed, and place seam-side down into the casserole dish.

Evenly pour remaining sauce over filled crepes. Sprinkle remaining grated cheese over top and bake 20 minutes, until golden and bubbly. Garnish with fresh chopped parsley and serve immediately.

Recipe from Jennifer Perillo, recipe developer and food editor from Brooklyn, New York. She writes a blog called Jennie's Kitchen (www.injennieskitchen.com)

It is comfort food, creamy, fresh. My friend, Lorraine, is my tester for this recipe.  She is not a fan of goat cheese but she liked the sauce, and the crepes.  It is all good, some people don't like goat cheese.  

Well, I tried to make the homemade ricotta.  Twice, once with whole milk and once with unpasteurized (raw) milk. I was not successful.  ):

I am not a patient person. Evidently, when the milk gets to 180 degrees, (I should have waited to 200 degrees), off heat, the curds will appear. Whey will separate from the curds…. THEN, you put the curds in the cheesecloth.

And wait... more. But nothing happened. No curds.  I didn’t have more milk to try it again. Forget it.  I bought the goat cheese from The Cheese Shop in town.

Did I tell you that I like goats?  I do. Next time, I will try t to make homemade goat cheese instead of buying it. Yummy. It is the same technique as the cow version in terms of making cheese. But, I was successful in terms of crepe making.  It is all about the wrist!

Next post:  Whole Fish ( Filleting fish??)