Recipe: Canneloni with Mushroom and Chicken Filling

CANNELONI WITH MUSHROOM & CHICKEN FILLING

4 ounces cannelloni or manicotti shells
1/2 cup onion -- chopped
2 tablespoons butter or margarine
3 tablespoons flour
2 cups milk
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 cup mozzarella or swiss cheese
Chicken/Mushroom Filling (recipe follows)
dash ground nutmeg
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Chicken Mushroom Filling:
2 whole medium chicken breasts
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup fresh mushrooms -- chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried basil -- crushed
1/3 cup onion -- finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon dried thyme -- crushed
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
2 eggs -- beaten
1/2 cup parmesan cheese

Cook Pasta in boiling, salted water until tender; drain.

Stir in flour; add milk all at once. Cook and stir until thickened and bubbly. Add wine. Stir in shredded cheese until melted.

FILLING:
In saucepan, combine chicken, bay leaf, and 2 cups of water; cover and simmer about 20 minutes.

Remove meat; cool slightly. Discard skin and bones. Finely chop or grind chicken and set aside.

In medium saucepan, cook mushrooms, onion, basil, thyme, paprika, and salt in butter or margarine until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat.

Blend in eggs, Parmesan cheese, and chopped or ground cooked chicken. Use this filling to stuff cannelloni or shells. Fill the Pasta shells with the filling. Place them in an oven ready pan, cover with the white sauce, with any remaining filling & with the cheese. Assemble the casserole in the order mentioned, ending with the cheese. Cover with aluminum foil, as for a lasag a.

Bake in a preheated 350 F oven for 45 minutes or until hot and with the cheese melted. Uncover and cook for addtional 10 minutes for browning the cheese.

Yields 3 cups of filling & one dish.