Meat Lovers Manicotti Stracotto-Style — When Cooking Is How You Say I Missed You

Sofia went to Washington, DC, with her senior class this week. Five days without my baby in the house and I did not know what to do with myself, which is ridiculous because I have a husband and a job and a kitchen and a life, but the house without Sofia is a house without its youngest heartbeat and the silence was so loud I could hear the refrigerator humming, which I have never noticed before because Sofia music and Sofia footsteps and Sofia voice asking Mami what is for dinner have been covering the sound of the refrigerator for seventeen years.

Eduardo said, Carmen, she will be back on Friday. I said, Eduardo, I know she will be back on Friday. He said, Then why did you make her bed three times today? I said, I did not make her bed three times. I made it once and adjusted it twice. He looked at me. I looked at him. He went back to his newspaper. He was right. I made her bed three times. I also went into her room and stood there and smelled her pillow, which smells like her shampoo, which smells like coconut, and I stood there like a crazy person sniffing my daughter pillow and I am not ashamed because mothers are allowed to miss their children even when the children are only in Washington, DC, which is not that far, which is basically next door, which is still TOO FAR.

I cooked all week like a woman possessed. Monday: pernil. For two people. A whole pernil for two people. Eduardo looked at it and said nothing because he has learned. Tuesday: a double batch of sofrito. Wednesday: pasteles. Thursday: alcapurrias. By Thursday night the freezer was full and Eduardo said, Carmen, we cannot eat all of this. I said, We are not eating it. I am preparing. He said, For what? I said, For when Sofia comes home. She will be hungry. She will have eaten cafeteria food for five days. She will need real food. He said, You made enough food for fifty people. I said, I like to be prepared.

Sofia came home on Friday evening with a sunburn and a bag of souvenirs and she walked into the kitchen and said, What is that smell? I said, Pernil. She said, Mami, you made pernil on a FRIDAY? I said, Welcome home, mija. She ate two plates and fell asleep on the couch and I covered her with the blanket — the Rosa blanket, the universal Delgado-Ortiz comfort blanket — and I sat in the kitchen and drank my cafe and the refrigerator hummed and I could not hear it because my daughter was home and the house had its heartbeat back.

By Wednesday I had already filled the freezer with pernil and pasteles and alcapurrias, and my hands still needed something to do, so I pulled out the manicotti shells. This recipe — slow-braised pork tucked into pasta with ricotta and a sauce that takes its sweet time — is exactly the kind of project I needed that week: something that demands attention, something that fills the kitchen with a smell so good it almost tricks you into thinking nobody is missing from the table. Sofia did not get to try this one before she left, but believe me, it is in the freezer waiting for her next trip.

Meat Lovers Manicotti Stracotto-Style

Prep Time: 45 minutes | Cook Time: 3 hours | Total Time: 3 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• 2 pounds bone-in pork shoulder, cut into 2-inch chunks
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup dry red wine
• 1 can (28 ounces) crushed San Marzano tomatoes
• 1 can (14.5 ounces) diced tomatoes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
• 12 manicotti shells
• 1 container (15 ounces) whole-milk ricotta cheese
• 1 large egg
• 1/4 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
• 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese, divided

Instructions

1. Sear the pork. Season pork shoulder generously with salt and pepper. Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear pork on all sides until deeply browned, about 8 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
2. Build the stracotto sauce. In the same pot, cook the onion over medium heat until softened, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Pour in the red wine and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, red pepper flakes, and bay leaf. Return the pork to the pot. Bring to a simmer.
3. Braise low and slow. Cover the pot and reduce heat to low. Cook for 2 to 2 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the pork is fall-apart tender. Remove the pork, shred it with two forks, and discard any bones and the bay leaf. Return 1 1/2 cups of shredded pork to the sauce and stir to combine. Reserve any remaining pork for the filling.
4. Cook the manicotti shells. While the pork braises, cook the manicotti shells according to package directions until just barely al dente. Drain carefully and lay flat on a lightly oiled baking sheet so they do not stick together.
5. Prepare the filling. In a large bowl, combine ricotta, egg, parsley, 1/4 cup Parmesan, 1 cup mozzarella, and any reserved shredded pork. Season with salt and pepper and mix until well combined.
6. Stuff the manicotti. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Spread 1 cup of the stracotto sauce across the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking dish. Using a small spoon or a piping bag, carefully fill each manicotti shell with the pork-ricotta mixture. Arrange the stuffed shells in a single layer over the sauce.
7. Top and bake. Spoon the remaining sauce over the manicotti, making sure each shell is well covered. Sprinkle with the remaining 1 cup mozzarella and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Cover tightly with foil and bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes until the cheese is bubbly and golden.
8. Rest and serve. Let the manicotti rest for 10 minutes before serving. Garnish with additional fresh parsley if desired.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 620 | Protein: 42g | Fat: 28g | Carbs: 48g | Fiber: 4g | Sodium: 890mg