Mixed Meat Cannelloni

Sep 21st, 2010 @ 10:41 am › admin
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This is another personal favourite of mine. My wife makes it for me when she’s feeling creative and it’s delicious. It takes a while to prepare, but is well worth the effort.

Ingredients

400g minced pork
120g chicken breast
120g Italian sausage
120gs Parmesan grated
2 slices of Prosciutto, chopped very finely
1 whole egg
1/4 cup white wine # nutmeg
salt and pepper
5 tablespoons olive oil

For the Tomato Sauce

680g bottle of passata or chopped tomatoes run through a blender
2 garlic cloves, chopped finely
1 medium red onion chopped finely
5 tablespoons olive oil
8 oven-ready cannelloni cases
1/3 cup parmesan for topping

Bechamel Sauce:

4 cups milk
850g all purpose flour
850g butter cut into small pieces
salt
white pepper freshly ground
1 dash nutmeg

Instructions

Chop the Prosciutto finely and set aside for later.
In a wide pan, over medium heat, add the 5 tablespoons of olive oil.
Add the crumbled sausage meat by removing the skin and mushing it between your fingers. Stir well and let it get a bit of colour. Then add the pork, a little at a time and continue browning then the chicken.
Keep stirring the meat until golden brown all through, add the white wine, stir, let the alcohol evaporate, season with salt, freshly ground pepper and a bit of nutmeg.
Put the meat aside and allow to cool. Drain as much fat off it as possible before it goes cold.
When cool, put the meat in a bowl, add the chopped prosciutto, the egg and the parmesan cheese. Mix everything to blend all the ingredients.
For the Becahmel Sauce you need to warm the milk and melt the butter. Sift in the flour and stir continuously over low heat until well blended.
Slowly add the warm milk, stirring constantly. When it’s all mixed, cook for 15 minutes over low heat.
Season with salt, freshly ground white pepper, a nice dash of freshly grated nutmeg and let it cool. Ideally it should be soft, not thick.
For the Tomato sauce add 5 tablespoons of olive oil to a pan over medium heat, then 2 chopped garlics and the onion. Stir until the onion is clear, add the passata, stir, add a pinch of salt and reduce the heat. Allow to simmer for about 15 minutes.
For the cannelloni preheat the oven to 350°F with rack in the middle.
Add half the bechamel sauce to the tomato sauce and stir well to mix. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with a good layer of tomato bechamel mixture.
Divide the meat filling between the cannelloni tubes and place them in the dish and cover completely with the tomato bechamel sauce.
Sprinkle generously with parmesan on top, and finish with a few tablespoons of the remaining bechamel over the tomato sauce.
Bake in the oven for 30 minutes. Turn off the oven, half open the door and leave the cannellonis to rest and the sauce will thicken a little.
Serve while hot.