Cooking Foods Italian Recipes – Cannelloni Al Forno

More details in my books published by Amazon.com

This recipe is from mia Grand Mother Nina.

Ingredients:

for the stuffing:

eggs -two

minced beef – 300 grams/11 Oz

veal “animelle” or “laccetto” or brain – 300 grams/11 Oz

onion-garlic-marjoram-rosemary-laurel-nutmeg-white pepper-cloves

pine-cones – 100 grams/3.5 Oz

cheese – grated parmisan 200 grams/7 Oz

marine salt – extra virgin olive oil – white wine

Unfortunately I cannot find the “animelle/laccetto” which are the veal bones marrow: I replaced it with the brain.

The pasta is made with flour  type “00” and eggs recipe is already posted (do search)

The bolognese sauce and the bechamel sauce are already in my posts too.

fry the chopped onion in two-three spoons of extra virgin olive oil

let the onion fade

add the chopped garlic

drop some butter (100 grams/3.5 Oz)

let garlic to yellowish

put the brain to fry (high fire)

you have to turn it upside down several time to get it properly cooked

cook four minutes one side then turn on the other side and do that again every four minutes

you will see the brain becomes consistent

the brain is cooked gently to avoid it to stick on the pan, though we will brake it in pieces later on

as the brain is cooked we are going to add the minced beef add two laurel leaves too (to take out as the beef is cooked)

using fork and spoon to spread the beef around and get it properly cooked

the brain needs more time to cook than the beef

you could otherwise broil the beef first and than add the brain but in this way you risk that the brain stick on the bottom of the fry-pan

Drop two-three pinches of marine salt and stir

add half glass of white wine

stir and promptly cover with a lid let cook three-four minutes covered

open the lid and stir

beef and brain must be perfectly broiled

 let it to cool down – discard the laurel

put beef and brain in the mixer

add eggs, garlic, pine-cones, marjoram,

rosemary (small chopped)

white pepper, clove (use powders)

blend all together

add 200 grams/7 Oz of grated parmesan cheese

the mixture must become consistent which means solid but it can be molded inside the roll of  pasta which we will made if it is too watery add more cheese (eventually if too hard add one more egg or some white wine)

I like fresh nutmeg

I ground it with the small grated the smell is better than powder

the stuffing is ready

we need a modeste quantity of bolognese sauce made with pork sausage and tomatoes, onion, garlic, salt etc. check in my recipes

we go to prepare the pasta: needs boiling water

drop marine salt in the water (half bunch in four liters the taste must be the same of the sea water)

I have already prepared the layer of pasta, 5×7 inches large and less than half millimeter thick, we call this type “lasagna”, however you can buy good ones at your market, I will use 1 piece for each cannellone I need 16-18 stuffed rolls to fill the oven-pan

I drop in the boiling water four pieces one by one, letting them cooking just one minute to become soft and easy to be worked, same process I do to make lasagna. I do not  make cannelloni or lasagna with dry pasta: this is wrong!!!

after one minute recover from the boiling water

and drop in cold water

you can leave to rest i cold water so  you can cook one minute each piece of pasta without problem: they will not stick each other.

just to give you idea of the size: less than half millimeter to one millimeter thick

five to seven inches large

 

I use a large aluminum oven-pan: I spread a bit of sauce on the bottom along with a spoon of extra virgin olive oil

start taking one piece of pasta (that previously boiled one minute)

put one spoon of stuffing inside (not too much: cooking the eggs will make the volume to double)

shape in this way

roll the cannellone

completely

set inside the oven-pan

you should fill each space

than drop some bolognese sauce on top: not too much!!!

Bechamel sauce: melt butter (100 grams/3.5 Oz) in a fry-pan (low fire)

as it starts to fry drop two spoons of flour type “00”

use a spoon to stir

mixing well butter and flour: it will looks like a cream

drop some milk and stir

you will see the flour taking the milk

add more milk until the sauce is creamy

drop two pinches of marine salt and stir

drop some nutmeg powder

check the salinity: if necessary add more salt

see in the picture the correct density: be careful…it is boiling!!!

still hot drop the bechamel on top

spread around with a spoon

put in the oven 250 celsius/480 fahrenheit

in 20 minutes should be ready

the top of the pasta should be broiled and a bit dry but not too much

divide the cannelloni with a knife and seat in each plate one or two

Cooking Foods Italian Recipes – Cannelloni Al Forno

More details in my books published by Amazon.com