Manicotti

1.Make sauce: Heat oil in a 5- to 6-quart heavy pot over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then sauté onion until golden, about 6 minutes.

2.Add garlic and sauté until golden, about 1 minute.

3.Add tomatoes with juice, water, sugar, and 1 teaspoon salt and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 30 minutes.

4.Stir in basil and remove from heat.

5.Make crêpes: Break up eggs with a wooden spoon in a medium bowl and stir in water until combined (don’t beat).

6.Sift in flour and salt, then stir batter until just combined.

7.Force through a medium-mesh sieve into another bowl.

8.Lightly brush an 8-inch nonstick skillet with melted butter and heat over medium heat until hot.

9.Ladle about 1/4 cup batter into skillet, tilting and rotating skillet to coat bottom, then pour excess back into bowl.

10.Cook until underside is just set and lightly browned, about 30 seconds, then invert crêpe onto a clean kitchen towel to cool completely.

11.Make at least 11 more crêpes, brushing skillet with butter as needed and stacking crêpes in 3 piles.

12.Make filling and assemble manicotti: Stir together ricotta, eggs, Parmigiano-Reggiano, parsley, and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper.

13.Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 425°F.

14.Cut mozzarella lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick sticks.

15.Spread 2 cups sauce in larger baking dish and 1 cup in smaller one.

16.Arrange 1 crêpe, browned side up, on a work surface, then spread about 1/4 cup filling in a line across center and top with a mozzarella strip.

17.Fold in top and bottom to enclose filling, leaving ends open, and transfer, seam side down, to larger baking dish.

18.Fill 11 more crêpes, arranging snugly in 1 layer in both dishes (8 in larger dish and 4 in smaller).

19.Spread 1 cup sauce over manicotti in larger dish and 1/2 cup in smaller dish.

20.Tightly cover dishes with foil and bake until sauce is bubbling and filling is hot, 15 to 20 minutes.

21.Serve remaining sauce on the side.