Pasta Sauce and Ricotta Stuffed Shells

In August and September, when I am canning tomatoes with all the windows open and the fan on, struggling to keep cool in a cabin without air conditioning, I daydream about the winter days when I will pull a jar of tomatoes out of the pantry to make a warm winter dish.  Now those winter days are here and I'm using my jar of tomatoes to make a simple pasta sauce.  I don't always make the sauce the exact same way.  It depends on what ingredients I have on hand and whether or not I want to add meat.  Today I'm keeping it meatless so that I can make one of Brad's favorite meals:  ricotta stuffed shells.  Brad is a dedicated carnivore and rarely loves a meal that doesn't have meat, so I think the fact that he considers this one of his favorites speaks volumes about how delicious this dish is.  I was a vegetarian for several years when Brad and I first met and now I try to only eat meat sparingly, so I jump at the chance to make a meatless meal that both of us will like.  I begin by assembling my ingredients and turning on some music.  Here is what I will need:

Basic Pasta Sauce

2 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small shallots, chopped
2 small carrots, chopped
4 or 5 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups of chopped Crimini mushrooms
1 jar tomatoes (or 1 16 oz. can)
8 oz tomato paste
1 Parmesan or Romano rind (optional)
salt & pepper to taste

In a large pot or dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high heat.  Add the onion, shallots, carrots, mushrooms, salt, pepper, and spices.  If I had fresh spices, I would most certainly use them, but this time of year I settle for dried.  Also, if you can't find crimini mushrooms, white button mushrooms will work fine.  I just like the slightly stronger flavor of the criminis, which are actually baby portabellas.  Cook for 7 or 8 minutes, stirring, until the onions begin to turn translucent.  Add the garlic and cook an additional minute, then add the tomatoes, tomato paste, and the Parmesan or Romano rind.  I happen to have a rind of Peccorino Romano, which is an Italian sheep's milk cheese that has a great salty, nutty flavor.  The rind is completely edible, but not exactly palatable on its own, so a good way to use it is to drop it into a soup or sauce such as this one.  It helps to thicken it and imparts a delicious flavor.  Reduce the heat to low and simmer 20- 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  If I were pouring the sauce over pasta, I would leave it chunky, but since I am using it in my stuffed shells dish, I use an emulsion blender to puree it until it is smooth.

Next I will assemble the ingredients for the ricotta stuffed shells.  Here is what I will need:

Ricotta Stuffed Shells

24 jumbo pasta shells
16 oz. ricotta cheese
8 oz. fresh mozzarella
2-3 cups spinach
4-6 cups pasta sauce
1 egg
1/2 cup grated Parmesan or Romano
1 tsp basil
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp parsley
salt & pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 F.  Begin by boiling your pasta according to the package directions.  While pasta is boiling, set a steamer basket or strainer over the pot of boiling water and place the spinach in the basket.  Allow the spinach to steam until it wilts.  Remove from the basket, press into the strainer to squeeze out most of the excess water and chop the steamed spinach. When the pasta is done, drain and rinse it in cold water.  Set aside.
Pour your ricotta cheese in a medium bowl.  I love to use Maplebrook Ricotta from Bennington, VT.  It won  3rd place in the ricotta category from the American Cheese Society in 2012 and I can certainly see why.  It's delicious!  Add the chopped spinach, beaten egg, spices, salt, pepper, and grated Parmesan or Romano cheese to the ricotta.  Next, spread a thin layer of your sauce in the bottom of a 9 x 13 dish.  Stuff each jumbo shell with a big spoonful of the ricotta mixture and place in rows in your dish.  Once all shells are stuffed and the dish is full, pour the remaining sauce over the top of the shells.  Then, take your fresh mozzarella and slice it into thin slices.  If you are using aged mozzarella, grate it instead.  I find that the fresh mozzarella turns a bit mushy when grated and is better when sliced.  The final step is to grate a little more of the Parmesan or Romano cheese over the top.  Bake for 30-35 minutes until cheese is melted and bubbly.