Maniladas

Tomatillo Sauce
1 lb. tomatillos, husked, cleaned, quartered
1 red onion, quartered
2 jalapeno peppers, halved
4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp. EVOO
Salt/Pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place the tomatillos, onion, jalapenos, and garlic in a small baking dish; toss with the EVOO and salt/pepper. Roast until the edges of the tomatillos caramelize and the flesh becomes soft (about 45 min.). Remove from the oven and scrape everything (even the juice drippings) into a blender; blend until smooth. If needed, use the reserved pasta water to thin the sauce to a pouring consistency. Taste and, if needed, season with salt/pepper.

Pasta
24 manicotti shells
Salt

Meanwhile, boil the manicotti shells in salted water (according to package instructions) until al dente. Remove shells from the boiling water and place on a baking sheet to let cool, making sure they are not touching to avoid them sticking together; reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water.

Filling
2 Tbsp. EVOO
2 onions, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 rotisserie chicken, shredded (OR 3 chicken breasts, salt/peppered, cooked, shredded/finely diced)
8 plum (Roma) tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
1 cup sour cream
Salt/Pepper

Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a large pan over medium heat and add the onion; cook, stirring until tender (about 5 min.). Add the garlic and saute (about 1 min.). Remove the pan from the heat and mix in the chicken, tomatoes, cilantro, and sour cream; salt/pepper to taste.

Cheese Sauce
4 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
4 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
3 cups heavy cream (at room temperature)
 2 cups shredded fontina cheese
Salt/Pepper

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking for about 1 min. Slowly, add the heavy cream in small batches, whisking constantly so there are no lumps in the sauce; cook for 5-10 min. (whisking consistently) until sauce thickens. Remove from the heat and add the fontina cheese a little at a time until completely combined. Season with salt/pepper to taste.

Manilada Assembly
Reduce the oven temperature to 350 degrees. Ladle 1/2 cup of the cheese sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 baking dish, covering the bottom so the maniladas will not stick to the bottom (* Do this step twice for each pan - one 9 x 13  pan will hold 12 maniladas).
Stuff the manicotta shells with the chicken mixture, making sure to not over fill the shells (you should have enough filling to fill all 24 shells).
Pour the remaining cheese sauce over the top of the maniladas in each pan.
Backe for 45 min. or until the cheese is bubbling and a few bubbles are golden brown (if it is not browing, broil on high for about 5 min. to get the golden brown color desired).

To serve, drizzle the tomatillo sauce on the maniladas or serve on the side.

* Original recipe courtesy of Sunny Anderson, Sunny's Kitchen, p. 182-183