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Pasta Tubes Filled With Meat And Baked In Tomato And Cream Sauce
(Cannelloni)
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| What You Need: |
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PASTA
Pasta dough
6 to 8 quarts water
1 tablespoon salt
FILLING
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup finely chopped onions
1 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 ten-ounce package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed completely dry and chopped again (about ¾ cup) or ¾ pound fresh spinach, cooked, drained, squeezed and finely chopped
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound beef round steak, ground twice, or 1 cup finely chopped leftover beef
2 chicken livers
5 tablespoons freshly grated imported
Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 eggs, lightly beaten
½ teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
BESCIAMELLA
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
TOPPING
3 cups tomato sauce (double)
4 tablespoons freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons butter, cut in tiny pieces
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| How To Cook: |
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PASTA:
1. On a floured board or cloth, roll out the pasta dough until it is paper thin, then cut it into about 36 rectangles of 2 by 3 inches. Bring the water and salt to a bubbling boil over high heat in a large soup pot or kettle.
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2. Drop in the pieces of pasta and stir gently with a wooden fork or spoon for a few moments to be sure they don't stick to one another or to the pot.
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3. Return the water to a boil and cook the pasta over high heat, stirring occasionally,for 5 minutes, or until the pasta is tender but not soft. Drain, cool slightly, then spread the pasta pieces side by side on paper towels to dry.
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FILLING:
1. Heat the olive oil in an 8- to 10-inch enameled or stainless-steel skillet. Add the onions and garlic, and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 7 or 8 minutes until they are soft but not brown.
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2. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes. When all of the moisture has boiled away and the spinach sticks lightly to the pan, transfer it to a large mixing bowl.
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3. Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in the same skillet and lightly brown the ground meat, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Add the meat to the onion-spinach mixture.
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4. Then melt 1 more tablespoon of butter in the skillet and cook the livers, turning them frequently, for 3 or 4 minutes, until they are somewhat firm, lightly browned but still pink inside. Chop them coarsely.
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5. Then add them to the mixture in the bowl along with 5 tablespoons of grated Parmesan, 2 tablespoons of cream, the eggs and oregano.
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6. With a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together, gently but thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
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BESCIAMELLA FOR CANNELLONI:
1. In a heavy 2-to 3-quart saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour.
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2. Pour in the milk and cream all at once, whisking constantly until the flour is partially dissolved. Then return the pan to high heat and cook, stirring constantly with the whisk.
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3. When the sauce comes to a boil and is smooth, reduce the heat. Simmer, still stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes longer, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the wires of the whisk heavily. Remove the sauce from the heat, and season with salt and white pepper.
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ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE CANNELLONI:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°F. Place a tablespoon or so of the filling on the bottom third of each of the pasta rectangles and roll them up. Pour just a film of the tomato sauce into two 1O-by-14-inch shallow baking-and-serving dishes.
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2. Lay the cannelloni side by side in one layer on the tomato sauce. Pour the besciamella over it and spoon the rest of the tomato sauce on top. Scatter in 4 tablespoons of grated cheese and dot with 2 tablespoons of butter.
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3. Bake the cannelloni uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes, or until the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbling. Slide the baking dishes under a hot broiler for 30 seconds to brown the top. Serve the cannelloni directly from the baking dish.
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NOTE: The pasta can be cooked, spread between 2 layers of wax paper, and refrigerated for a day or 2. The cannelloni, filled and combined with its sauce, also can be refrigerated-tightly wrapped in plastic or foil-up to 2 days. The cannelloni may be sauced differently by reversing the above order: after laying the cannelloni in the thin layer of tomato sauce, cover them with the rest of the tomato sauce and pour the besciamella over the dish. Sprinkle with cheese, dot with butter, and bake.
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