Seafood Cannelloni

SEAFOOD CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Make sauce:
• Cook shallot, carrot, celery, reserved shrimp shells, and reserved scallop muscles in 3 tablespoons butter in a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, uncovered, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are softened and pale golden, about 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring, 1 minute. Add wine and boil over high heat, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/4 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Add water, seafood glaze (if using), and parsley sprigs and simmer, covered, 30 minutes.
• Discard parsley and purée stock, including shrimp shells, in 2 batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids). Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a bowl, pressing on and discarding solids.
• Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter in cleaned saucepan over moderately low heat, then add flour and cook roux over low heat, stirring, 3 minutes. Add warm seafood stock all at once, whisking, and bring to a boil, whisking. Add 1/2 cup cream and gently simmer sauce, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Stir in lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.
• Transfer 1/2 cup sauce to a bowl set in a larger bowl of ice and cold water to cool for filling.
• Make seafood filling:
• Cut one third of shrimp and one third of scallops into 1/4-inch pieces and toss with 1/4 teaspoon salt. Purée remaining shrimp and scallops in a food processor with Cognac, cooled 1/2 cup sauce, remaining 3/4 teaspoon salt, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Add remaining 1/2 cup cream and pulse just until combined. Transfer mousse to a large bowl and stir in shrimp and scallop pieces and chives.
• Cook pasta and assemble cannelloni:
• Preheat oven to 375°F.
• Boil lasagne noodles a few at a time in a large pot of boiling salted water , stirring to separate, until al dente, about 2 minutes for fresh noodles or about 6 minutes for no-boil. Gently transfer noodles with tongs and a slotted spatula to a large bowl of cold water to stop cooking, then lift out, shaking off water, and lay flat on dry kitchen towels (not terry cloth). Spread 1/3 cup mousse over each noodle, leaving a 1/2-inch border on both short ends. Starting with a short end, loosely roll up each noodle.
• Spread about 1/2 cup sauce on bottom of casserole dish and arrange cannelloni, seam sides down, snugly in 1 layer over sauce. Pour remaining sauce over cannelloni and bake, covered with foil, in middle of oven until sauce is bubbling and filling is just cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes. (To test filling for doneness, insert a metal skewer into a cannelloni and hold it there 5 seconds. Remove skewer and press it against your bottom lip: If metal is warm, casserole is hot all the way through and filling is cooked.)
• Preheat broiler.
• Remove foil and broil cannelloni about 3 inches from heat until brown spots appear, 3 to 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
• Available at some supermarkets, specialty foods shops, and More Than Gourmet (800-860-9395).

CANNELLONI

Steps:

• 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.

CRAB AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain pasta.
• In a large bowl, mix together ricotta, 3/4 cup Parmesan, egg yolk, basil, crab, salt, and pepper.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Fill the cannelloni with the crab mixture and place in a buttered baking dish. Top the filled cannelloni with the Bechamel Sauce and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese. Bake until bubbly and the top is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk until smooth, about 2 minutes. Gradually add the warm milk, whisking constantly, until the sauce is thick, smooth, and creamy, about 10 minutes (do not allow the sauce to boil). Remove from the heat and stir in the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. (The sauce can be made up to 3 days ahead. Cool and then cover and refrigerate.)
• Yield: about 4 cups

SHRIMP AND CRAB CANNELLONI

Steps:

• For sauce:
• Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic and sauté until translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in fresh tomatoes, canned tomatoes with their juices, basil, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and crushed red pepper and bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer until sauce is reduced to scant 5 cups, stirring occasionally, about 45 minutes. Discard bay leaves. Working in batches, puree sauce in blender; return to same pot. Add cream and vinegar and simmer 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate.
• For Cannelloni:
• Cook noodles in pot of boiling salted water until almost tender. Drain. Cool in bowl of cold water.
• Heat olive oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; sauté until onion is tender, about 6 minutes. Add shrimp; sauté just until opaque, about 3 minutes. Stir in basil, oregano and crushed red pepper. Cool.
• Mix ricotta, provolone, Parmesan, crabmeat and shrimp mixture in bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Mix in egg.
• Butter 13 x 9 x 2-inch glass baking dish. Spread generous 1 cup tomato cream sauce in bottom of dish. Drain lasagna noodles; trim to 8-inch lengths. Spread scant 1/3 cup shrimp filling over each noodle, leaving 1/2-inch border on all sides. Staring at 1 short end, roll up each noodle jelly roll style. Place in prepared pan, seam side down. Pour remaining sauce over cannelloni. Cover with foil. (Can be made 1 day ahead; refrigerate.)
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake foil-covered cannelloni until heated through, about 45 minutes.