The Case Of The Cannelloni

Pasta has always been comfort food in our house, especially spaghetti. As much as my boys love plates of this, it can get a bit tiring. That's when finding something familiar yet quite different comes in...Cannelloni

Cannelloni are tube like pasta that are often stuffed with meat, veggies, cheese and whatever it is you would like to fill it with. This time around, I filled ours with chicken, ham and chicken liver.

Ingredients:

• 1 package of Cannelloni (if you prefer to make your own, I'll include the recipe for fresh pasta below.

PASTA Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 All purpose flour
• 1 egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 1/4 tsp salt

WHITE SAUCE Ingredients:

• 1/2 c butter
• 1/2 c flour
• 2 c evaporated milk
• 2 c water
• salt and pepper to taste

TOMATO SAUCE Ingredients:

• 2 c tomato sauce
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 c broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 c butter or margarine

FILLING Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter or margarine  and 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp garlic, chopped
• 1 medium onion, chopped
• 250 grams chicken liver
• 1 1/2 c cooked chicken, ground
• 1/2 c cooked ham, ground
• 1 tsp basil
• 1 tsp thyme
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 eggs

TOPPING:

• 100 grams Mozzarella cheese

Procedure:

1. Cook pasta (if making fresh). If using the dry cannelloni, you can stuff it directly without having to pre cook it.
2. To make fresh pasta: combine flour and salt. Add eggs then knead into a smooth dough.
3. Roll out dough thinly. Cut into 4x4 squares after.
4. Drop squares one at a time into salted boiling water and cook for about a minute.
5. Immerse into ice cold water soon after and dry with a towel or cheesecloth. Set aside.
6. To make tomato sauce: melt butter or margarine in saucepan. Stir in tomato sauce, garlic and broth. Season.
7. Cook till it simmers. Set aside to cool.
8. Prepare filling by sauteing the garlic, onions and liver in butter and olive oil. Season.
9. When done, puree the livers in a food processor to make a smooth liver paste. Mix in the chicken and ham, followed by the eggs.
10. Fill the dried cannelloni with the mixture, and arrange filled pasta in an oven proof dish.
11. For the fresh pasta, put a tbsp of mixture on each square and roll to form a cannelloni, arranging it side by side in a shallow oven proof dish.
12. To make the white sauce: melt butter over low fire. Blend in flour (a wire whisk would be handy).
13. Pour in milk and water, stirring to ensure no lumps are left. Season and cook till bubbly. Set aside to cool.
14. To assemble: pour tomato and white sauce over filled pasta alternately. You could also layer the You could opt to make only one kind of sauce, but both is much more delicious.
15. Sprinkle with grated cheese or arrange mozzarella slices on top.
16. Broil til cheese melts and/or browns to your liking Ü

**Quick tip: grating/chopping any form of vegetable (as long as it's about 1/4 c total) and added to the filling is a great way to "hide" veggies from those who aren't fans. I chop a little spinach and finely ground carrots for an extra dose of iron and vitamin a, without affecting the taste

From Kitchen Wanderings, here's to a life full of flavor!