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Beef and Spinach Cannelloni for Dinner (photos)

Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:00 pm
Posted by MeridianDog
Home on the range
Member since Nov 2010
14527 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:00 pm
This will be the longest post I have ever made. On a scale of 1-10 of complexity, I would rate this dish a 7 or 8.

We do Cannelloni entirely from scratch. It is a lot of work, but it is always worth it.

Pasta:

2 cups Semolina flour (you can use AP if you like)
2 (large) eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons water (added as needed)



To make the pasta:

Mound semolina, make a well of flour on work surface and add eggs salt and oil to well.



Slowly pull the flour into the well with your fingers or a fork to incorporate ingredients. Add water as needed to make the pasta dough ball. It will most likely take the full 2 Tablespoons of water. It looks like this when properly mixed.



The pasta must be thoroughly kneaded to develop the gluten in the flour. The more kneading, the more tender the pasta will be. With the dough on the work surface, press the ball down firmly with the heel of the palm to compress and stretch it. Then fold the dough back over onto the pressed area and repeat again and again for 10 minutes. The ball will get firm and shiny.



Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and rest it for 40 minutes, while you work the rest of the dish. The pasts will be made toward the end of the preparation, just before filling it.



As a note - Pasta dough may be stored in the fridge for a few days. It may be made and dried to allow for several weeks storage in a plastic bag in the pantry. We only used half of this pasta dough. The second half was stored in the refrigerator for making Fettuccine al Burro on Monday night.

Salsa di Pomodoro - a very thick marinara sauce.

You'll need

Tomatoes - 28 ounce. This is not a cheap dish. Fresh or canned - Buy good tomatoes. The sauce is worth it.
Small can of Tomato Paste
Onions - I used three. Chopped - the measure was a little over a cup.
Garlic - two cloves, minced
Olive oil - 2 Tablespoons - for sauté use
Basil - Two Tablespoons fresh
Oregano - one Tablespoon (dried)
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon



Sauté onions and garlic in Olive Oil until translucent.





Crush the tomatoes - just do it with your hands. The wife is an excellent by hand tomato crusher.



Add tomatoes to the vegetables in the sauté pan with the can of tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and black pepper.



Cook covered at a slow simmer (low heat so as to not burn the sauce) for 30 - 40 minutes, stir occasionally as it wants to stick as it gets thick.





The Salsa di Pomodori is intended to be thick and rich in color and flavor.

Meat filling:

You'll Need:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Ground Round
Butter - 2 Tablespoons for cooking beef and chicken liver
1 or 2 Chicken Livers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 clove minced garlic
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup parmesan cheese fine shred
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 egg - beaten
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt & pepper to taste



Sauté onions in olive oil and add chopped spinach.



Cook the spinach until it is dry and starts trying to stick to the sauté pan.



Set aside the vegetables. There will be a lot less than you had when you started.



Cook ground round in a Tablespoon of butter with a little salt and pepper.





Add the cooked beef to the bowl with vegetables.

Sauté the chicken liver in butter with a little black pepper. This doesn't seem like much chicken liver, but the flavor helps make the dish. Sauté the liver until firm. Chop and add to bowl.





Leave the chopped liver pieces big enough to not get lost in the stuffing.

add the meats to the bowl:



Add shredded parmesan, the egg and a tablespoon of heavy cream. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and set aside.





Besciamella Sauce

You'll Need:

2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper



Add the flour to 2 Tablespoons melted butter in sauté pan



Cook the flour four minutes. Do not brown the flour. This is a blond sauce.



Add milk and heavy cream to the blond roux and stir



with a whisk until a thick heavy cream sauce forms



Taste and season with salt and pepper. set aside.

Making Cannelloni wrappers

Finally, we return to the pasta dough, which is now a glossy, workable consistency.



(Post too long - continued below)

All my stuff
This post was edited on 10/17/17 at 9:38 am
Posted by MeridianDog
Home on the range
Member since Nov 2010
14527 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:00 pm to
Continued:

We processed the dough through our pasta machine, several times on setting 7, folding and re-running the dough maybe four or six times, then taking it one number at a time, until we had the machine set on number 1, which is very thin pasta.

Photos were horrible. I will do some another day.



After processing, we cut the sheets into 4 by 6 inch pieces and placed on clean towels before cooking them off. The best way to handle them is to allow them to dry out for a few minutes, then precook the sheets in boiling salted water.



After two our three minutes of cooking they were removed and placed back on towels for the next step. You know it is thin pasta when you can see the stripes on the towel through the pasta.



Time to assemble the Cannelloni

The sauce is ready - thick and rich



Place a thin layer of Salsa di Pomodori on the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole.



Portion out the meat filling on the pasta - it doesn't take much - balance of flavor and all.



Roll the cannelloni tubes and place them in the casserole. Cover with Besciamella.



Then top with Salsa di Pomodori and the parmesan.



Into oven at 375 f for 20-30 minutes, until bubbly hot.



While the cannelloni cooked, the wife made salad and put bread in the oven with our entre. I opened our Chianti.



On Table:



Plate View:



Money View:



This was the best meal we have had in months. My belly is happy.




This is obviously a lengthy preparation, but not all that complicated if taken a step at a time. I assure you, the end results are worth the time.


All of my stuff
This post was edited on 10/17/17 at 10:01 am
Posted by CT
Kate Upton's back
Member since Sep 2004
21054 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:05 pm to
Posted by Cosmo
glassman's guest house
Member since Oct 2003
123130 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:12 pm to
Yes
Posted by Walt OReilly
Poplarville, MS
Member since Oct 2005
124694 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:16 pm to
Looks great man
Posted by SW2SCLA
We all float down here
Member since Feb 2009
22883 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:20 pm to
Mother of god
Posted by nelatf
NELA
Member since Jan 2011
2296 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:21 pm to
Well.....you win.

I ate out tonight at a local Italian place - yours look way better.
Posted by Rouge
Floston Paradise
Member since Oct 2004
137302 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:21 pm to
You getting some tonight
Posted by LSUEnvy
Hou via Lake Chas
Member since May 2011
12231 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:25 pm to
Very nice. I make pasta from time to time but I never dreamed of trying cannelloni. Well done sir
Posted by Caplewood
Atlanta
Member since Jun 2010
39212 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:28 pm to
I dig it. Definitely would add some cheese like ricotta in that filling. Looks really good though
Posted by BluegrassBelle
RIP Hefty Lefty - 1981-2019
Member since Nov 2010
101696 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:30 pm to
Uh yum.
Posted by puse01
Member since Sep 2011
3742 posts
Posted on 8/16/14 at 11:46 pm to
Excellent job MD!
Posted by Degas
2187645493 posts
Member since Jul 2010
11616 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 1:15 am to
Yes please!

Good to see you back in action.
Posted by TigerstuckinMS
Member since Nov 2005
33687 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 1:38 am to
Damn, MD. I'm stealing that recipe, but I'm buying cannelloni shells.
Posted by Gris Gris
OTIS!NO RULES FOR SAUCES ON STEAK!!
Member since Feb 2008
48212 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 2:56 am to
Cannelloni is my favorite Italian dish. I like it with pink sauce. I would eat with you and the bride any time. Y'all obviously have fun in the kitchen.
Posted by Bayou Tiger Fan Too
Southeast LA
Member since Jun 2012
2306 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 7:58 am to
Very nice!!!
Posted by GEAUXT
Member since Nov 2007
29777 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 8:05 am to
That looks friggin amazing
Posted by John McClane
Member since Apr 2010
36934 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 8:27 am to
Looks delicious MD
Posted by LSUballs
RayVegas LA
Member since Feb 2008
38272 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 8:30 am to
Che sembra bello Clark.
Posted by Oenophile Brah
The Edge of Sanity
Member since Jan 2013
7551 posts
Posted on 8/17/14 at 9:25 am to
Bravo

Think this is your best dish I've seen!

Love the chicken livers in the mix. I agree about adding some ricotta, but that's my preference.

I'm craving some Eyetalian now!
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