Veal Ragù Cannelloni Food

CANNELLONI OR STUFFED SHELLS WITH VEAL AND SWEET SAUSAGE

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
• Meanwhile, heat the EVOO in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Brown the sausage and crumble to very small pieces. Then add the veal, brown and crumble. Add the sage, garlic, onions and some salt and pepper, and cook until tender. Separate the spinach with your fingertips and add to the skillet. Stir to heat through, then deglaze with the wine and remove from the heat.
• In a saucepot over medium heat, melt the butter, whisk in the flour and bring to a bubble. Whisk in the milk and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste. Thicken the sauce to coat the back of a spoon. Taste to adjust the seasoning and remove a ladle of sauce to combine with the egg yolks to temper them. Add the egg yolks to the sauce and stir in half of the fontina cheese and Parmigiano-Reggiano. Reduce the heat to low, or cover to keep warm.
• Salt the water, and cook the pasta to a chewy al dente, 6 to 7 minutes. Then drain and cool. Fill the tubes or shells with the meat filling using small spoon. Cover the bottom of the baking dish with one-quarter of the sauce, then arrange the shells and cover with the remaining sauce, then top with the remaining cheese. Refrigerate or freeze for a make-ahead meal.
• Bake from room temperature at 375 degrees F until brown and bubbly, 30 to 40 minutes.

VEAL RAGù CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 160ºC/325ºF/gas 3.
• Peel and finely chop the onions, celery and 2 cloves of garlic. Cut the green part off the leeks (save for making stock or soup), then trim, wash and finely chop the white part. Peel the potatoes and chop into ½cm dice. Tie the thyme sprigs together.
• Melt half the butter in a large pan on a low heat with 1 tablespoon of oil, then add the onions, garlic, celery, leeks, potatoes, bay leaves and thyme. Cover and sweat down for 15 minutes, or until softened, stirring occasionally.
• Add all the mince to the pan, breaking it up with a wooden spoon. Turn the heat up to medium-high and cook for 10 more minutes, or until the mince is browned all over, stirring occasionally.
• Pour in the wine, let it bubble and boil away, then finely grate in half the nutmeg. Stir in the flour for 1 minute, then pour in the milk. Season with sea salt and black pepper, cover with a scrunched-up sheet of wet greaseproof paper and transfer to the oven for 2 hours, or until thickened and beautifully tender.
• At this stage, the ragù might look like it's split a little, but this is actually what we're looking for - the milk in the sauce creates amazing ricotta-like curds as it cooks.
• Meanwhile, place a large heatproof baking dish on a medium heat with 2 tablespoons of oil and the remaining butter. Peel, finely chop and add the remaining garlic, along with the chilli flakes, nettles (leaves only - wear gloves to protect your hands while you prep) and spinach - you'll need to work in batches. Cook for 10 minutes, or until softened.
• Allow to cool, then finely chop and return to the dish, spreading evenly over the base. Once done, divide the ragù in two, freezing one half for another day, once cool.
• Carefully drain the liquid from the remaining ragù into a bowl through a coarse sieve. Return the ragù to the pan, fish out and discard the thyme stalks and bay, then grate in half the cheese and stir well.
• Turn the oven up to 180ºC/350ºF/gas 4.
• Use a piping bag or teaspoon to stuff the cannelloni tubes with the ragù, then arrange on top of the greens. Pour the sieved liquid over the top and grate over the remaining cheese. Trim and finely slice the mushrooms and scatter over the cannelloni.
• Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of oil, then bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until golden and bubbling. For added colour, flash the dish under the grill for 5 minutes. Importantly, let it stand for 30 minutes before serving. Delicious with a seasonal salad for added crunch.

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.

VEAL RAGU WITH CAMPANELLE

Steps:

• Heat a large deep skillet over medium high heat. Add oil and veal and brown for 2 or 3 minutes. Add carrot, onion, garlic and bay, season with salt and pepper, then cook mixture 4 or 5 minutes more, stirring frequently, to soften veggies and combine flavors. Deglaze the pan with 1/2 cup white wine, scraping up all the good bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook the alcohol out of the wine, 1 or 2 minutes. Add broth to the skillet and reduce heat to medium low. Stir in tomatoes and bring sauce to a bubble. Simmer sauce until ready to serve. Add torn basil and wilt the leaves into the hot sauce. Remove bay leaf from the sauce. Toss hot cooked pasta with 1/2 cup, a couple of handfuls, grated cheese. Combine hot pasta and cheese with the veal ragu in a large serving bowl or platter. Serve with extra cheese for topping. Garnish platter with additional basil tops.

BEEF CANNELLONI

Steps:

• For the filling, dry-fry the beef in a non-stick pan on a medium-high heat, breaking up with a wooden spoon until browned - about 10 mins. Remove and set aside. Add the oil and cook the onion for 5 mins, until soft. Add the garlic for 1 min more, then tip in the beef and 1½ jars of the passata sauce and the sugar. Simmer for 20 mins while you make the white sauce.
• Heat the butter in a small pan. When foaming, stir in the flour for 1 min. Add the milk gradually, stirring all the time to achieve a lump-free sauce, then bubble for 2 mins while stirring. Remove from the heat and stir in the soft cheese with seasoning until dissolved. Set aside, covered with cling film to stop a skin forming.
• To assemble, pour the remaining tomato sauce into the base of 2-3 large baking dishes or 12 individual ovenproof dishes or foil containers. Spoon the beef into the cannelloni tubes using a teaspoon and lay on top of the sauce. Pour on the white sauce, then sprinkle with Parmesan. If freezing, allow to cool, then freeze wrapped well in cling film. To eat straight away, heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6 and cook for 40-45 mins until the pasta is tender and topping golden. Defrost frozen cannelloni thoroughly, then cook as above for 50 mins-55 mins (or see tip).