Keeping Up Appearances

"It looks like a piece of meat, like the leg of some dead animal."

Master wasn't mistaken. In fairness, though, he was referring not to the food I'd prepared for last night's meal, but to my first (awful) digital photos of that meal - manicotti stuffed with broccoli rabe and chicken sausage - taken before realizing that the plate needed to be gussied up a little for its Master's Chef closeup. Otherwise, I concur that they did look more like crime-scene footage. This was not the case when the dish emerged from the oven, still entire and smothered under a thick blanket of melted mozzarella. But all that cheese obscured the telltale ridges of the pasta, and much of the gorgeous green broccoli rabe peeking out from within. A bit of doctoring reveals dinner in all its colorful glory, though it still doesn't quite convey the delights of the homemade tomato sauce, studded with just-crunchy bits of celery and carrot, and lush with torn basil leaf.

I was concerned about overcooking the broccoli rabe, which had already endured blanching, the shock of an ice-water bath, and a quick saute, with onion, garlic and the crumbled sausage, in olive oil and white wine. So I took a chance and stuffed the manicotti, with Master's gracious assistance, while it was still uncooked. The theory being that the moisture in the sauce and the stuffing would suffice to cook the pasta through during the baking, the result was that it did come to the table just a touch underdone - about a whisper away from al dente. That's how I prefer my pasta, anyway. And Master told me he had no problem with it. Good to know. For those keeping track, one box of manicotti - 14 tubes - made for generous dinner portions and lunch-ready leftovers for two. Had mine today. Undercooking the pasta paid off, as a few minutes in the microwave brought the manicotti those few shades closer to perfection.

On my own for dinner tonight, as Master and his cat take time to recover from winter colds, so I will probably indulge in something spicy. Lillian Chou's Korean-style Warm Tofu with Spicy Garlic Sauce, as popularized by Ruth Reichl and the much-missed Gourmet gang, is a prime candidate. If you can stand the heat, I urge you to get into the kitchen and try this recipe. One of my favorites - dead easy, yet delicious.