Cheesy stuffed shells

Heat the milk, heavy cream and salt in a saucepan over medium low, stirring frequently, very slowly to 190F.

Kill the heat, pour the vinegar around the pot and stir it in gently without breaking the curds.

Let the cheese sit 15 minutes to coagulate into set curds and whey.

Line a deep straining basket with cheesecloth folded in half four times.

Scoop the curds out of the whey with a ladle and lower them carefully into the cheesecloth, then pour off the rest and discard the whey.

Drain the cheese 20 to 30 minutes.

Boil four to five quarts of heavily salted water and cook the jumbo shells about six minutes to just under al dente.

Drain, toss the shells with olive oil and set aside to cool.

Stack the prosciutto slices, cut into quarter inch strips, turn 90 degrees and mince to bacon bit size.

Fry the minced prosciutto in olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat about 90 seconds to render some fat, keeping it soft rather than crisp.

Add the minced garlic and fry about a minute until it smells good and just takes on colour.

Add the spinach and stir to wilt, about two minutes, until most of the water has cooked off.

Move the spinach and ham to a cutting board and run a knife through it five or six times.

Wipe the pot, then sweat grated onion, garlic and a pinch of salt in olive oil five minutes until tender.

Add the chopped Calabrian chilies and fry two to three minutes.

Add the tomato paste and fry one minute to a rusty orange colour.

Add a splash of water, then the crushed tomatoes, salt and sugar; simmer over medium five minutes.

Kill the heat and stir in the chiffonade basil.

Mix the drained ricotta with the chopped spinach and ham, heavy cream, mozzarella, Parmesan and black pepper.

Stir in one large egg to bind.

Slide two to three tablespoons of filling into each shell, holding it open with the back of the spoon, then tuck it into a tight package.

Nest 18 to 24 filled shells into the sauce and top with a liberal amount of grated Parmesan.

Bake covered at 425F for 15 minutes.

Remove the lid and bake another 15 minutes to reduce the sauce and brown the cheese, 30 minutes in total.

Dust with more grated Parmesan and finish with spicy olive oil; three or four shells per person.