Recipe: Cannelloni Recipe

CANNELLONI

1 cup minced onion
1/2 cup minced celery
1/3 cup minced carrot
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
12 ounces each ground veal, pork and beef
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup beef broth
2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary or 1 teaspoon dried and crumbled
1 bay leaf
Salt and pepper
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
Freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
1/4 cup minced fresh parsley
1 recipe Michele's Favorite Tomato Sauce(recipe follows)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 pound fresh pasta sheets

First make the stuffing. In a deep skillet cook the onion, celery and carrot in the olive oil over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the garlic and cook the mixture, stirring, 1 minute. Add the veal, pork and beef and cook, stirring occasionally, until no longer pink. Add the wine, reduce for 1 minute and stir in the broth. Add the herbs, bay leaf and salt and pepper. Bring the mixture to a boil and simmer, covered, 15 minutes. Uncover and reduce until almost dry. Discard bay leaf. Transfer mixture to a bowl and let cool. Mix in egg yolks until well combined. Meanwhile, in a saucepan set over moderately low heat melt the butter, add the flour and whisk the mixture for 2 minutes. Add the milk, nutmeg and salt and pepper and simmer the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes, or until thickened. Stir in 1/2 cup of the parmesan and the parsley. In a bowl combine the meat mixture with the cheese and parsley sauce. Make the tomato sauce and stir in the heavy cream.

Now, make the pasta. Cut the dough crosswise into 5-inch lengths. In a pot of boiling salted water cook the noodles, a few at a time, for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes, or until they are al dente, transferring them as they are cooked to a bowl of cold water. Spread the noodles in one layer on paper towels to drain. Spoon 1/4 cup of the filling down the center of one noodle, roll the noodle to enclose the filing, and transfer the cannelloni, seam side down, to a well-buttered gratin dish. Continue to make cannelloni with the remaining noodles and filling in the same manner, arranging them in one layer. Ladle the sauce over the cannelloni and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake at 400 degrees F for 10 minutes or until bubbling. Run under the broiler about 4 inches from the heat, for 2 minutes, or until golden.

Yield: 6 servings

MICHELE'S FAVORITE TOMATO SAUCE

1/4 cup olive oil
4 onions, chopped
1 pound carrots, cut into 1/4-inch rounds
3/4 cup water
3 cloves garlic
2 cans (28 ounces each) plum tomatoes in tomato puree
Salt and pepper

In a large non-reactive saucepan heat olive oil. Add onions and carrots and reduce heat to low. Add 1/4 cup of water and garlic. Cover and cook gently until vegetables are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in tomatoes with puree, using a wooden spoon to break up tomatoes by mashing them against the sides of the saucepan. Add remaining 1/2 cup of water, cover and simmer over low heat for 1 hour, stirring now and then. Press sauce through a sieve or food mill and discard solids. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Use immediately or ladle into freezer containers. This sauce can freeze up to a year.

Yield: 2 quarts of sauce