Entree: Canelloni al Forno con Pollo e Funghi (Cannelloni with Chicken and Mushroom Stuffing in Bechamel Sauce)
This pasta is for when you are in the mood to cook. It can be made a day or two in advance and baked later. We recommend you add at least an extra 10 minutes in the oven if the dish has been chilled. The Béchamel Sauce requires a lot of attention and a slow hand, so be patient. Béchamel Sauce is as fundamental to Italian cooking as tomato sauce. Cheers, Tina
Category : Wine Club Award Celebration Dinner 2009
INGREDIENTS:
Pasta:
- ½ lb dried cannelloni or ½ lb fresh pasta (you may find pasta wraps in the refrigerated Asian section of the grocery store as these are often used for spring rolls)
- Salt to Taste
- ¼ cup freshly grated Parmesan
For the Filling and Dressing:
- ½ lb wild or cultivated mushrooms
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3 Shallots or 1 small Onion, very finely chopped
- 3 boneless Chicken Breasts, minced
- 2 oz. thinly sliced Prosciutto, Ham, or Mortadella, chopped
- 1/3 teaspoon Ground Cloves
- Salt and freshly Ground White or Black Pepper to taste
- 1 Egg and 1 Egg Yolk, beaten
Béchamel:
- 2 ½ cups milk (we used 2% and it was fine)
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted Butter
- 3 tablespoons All-Purpose Flour
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg (or use same amount of dried nutmeg)
Simple Tomato Sauce with Vegetables:
Only use 1 cup Simple Tomato Sauce with Vegetables (the rest can be frozen for another time)
- 4 tablespoons Unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon Extra-Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 small-medium Onion, very finely chopped
- 1 Carrot, very finely chopped
- 1 Celery rib with leaves, very finely chopped
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh Flat-Leaf Parsley
- 2 tablespoons Tomato Paste
- ¼ cup of Le Casque Syrah (or other red wine)
- 2 ½ cups fresh or canned drained cut tomatoes chopped
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- Freshly Ground Black or White Pepper, to Taste
DIRECTIONS:
STEP 1: Tomato Sauce with Vegetables
1. Warm 3 tablespoons of butter with the oil in a wide pan over medium-low heat.
2. Add the onion, carrot, celery, and parsley. Sauté until the vegetables are softened but not browned. About 10 minutes.
3. Stir in the tomato paste, the tomatoes, red wine, and salt. Simmer partially covered, stirring frequently, until the mixture has thickened, about 40 minutes. Remove from the heat and cool.
4. Pass the sauce through a food mill or puree in a food processor or blender. Return the sauce to the pan and reheat gently.
5. Stir in the remaining butter and the pepper. Check the seasoning before using over the Cannelloni.
STEP 2: Making the Cannelloni Filling While the Tomato Sauce is Thickening
1. Clean the mushrooms, removing the hard tip or stems.
2. Thinly slice the caps, then chop them.
3. Melt the butter in a skillet. Add the shallots or onion, and sauté gently until wilted.
4. Add the mushrooms, minced chicken, prosciutto, ham or mortadella, cloves, salt, and pepper. Sauté gently until the chicken is lightly colored, stirring frequently, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow mixture to cool.
STEP 3: Béchamel Sauce (Make this while Filling is cooling and Tomato Sauce is thickening)
1. Heat the milk in a small sauce pan to just below boiling point, then set aside and keep warm.
2. Melt the butter in a larger heavy-based saucepan. Working over low heat, add the flour and stir with a wooden spoon or whisk to get rid of lumps. Let the flour and butter paste heat through for about 2 minutes stirring constantly. Do not let the paste brown.
3. Add the hot milk, a tablespoon at a time stirring constantly to incorporate it thoroughly. Continue to add the milk very slowly, just a few tablespoons at a time, until ½ cup is used up.
4. We recommend you turn off the heat as you add the rest of the milk in a very slow and gradual trickle, stirring all the time. If you are an old hand you can leave the heat on.
5. If lumps appear, you are probably adding the milk in too great a quantity, too quickly, or the heat is too high if you left it on. Should this happen turn off the heat and press the lumps against the side of the pan with a wooden spoon.
6. When all the milk has been added, simmer the sauce very gently for another 15 minutes or so, stirring constantly. Add the salt and nutmeg during the last 10 minutes of cooking.
STEP 4: Finishing and Putting the Dish Together
1. Preheat the Oven to 400 degrees.
2. Finish the Tomato Sauce completing the 4th and 5th steps.
3. Blend the egg and egg yolk and 3 tablespoons of béchamel sauce with the chicken mixture.
4. Bring 4 quarts (5 liters) of water to a rolling boil. Add the dried cannelloni and 1 ½ tablespoons of salt. Half-cook the pasta, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. We found if using fresh pasta you really don’t need to precook.
5. Smear 2-3 tablespoons of tomato sauce on the bottom of a baking dish.
6. Push 1-2 tablespoons of filling into the cannelloni tubes, or fill the fresh wrappers and roll.
7. Arrange them side by side in a single layer in the dish.
8. Spoon the remaining tomato sauce over the cannelloni and spoon béchamel over that. Sprinkle with Parmesan
9. Bake the cannelloni in the middle of the oven until bubbly and golden, about 15 minutes. Allow to settle for 10 minutes before serving.
Yield: Serves 4-6