A delicious, sumptuous feast for a special occasion (or a big fat dinner)
Dishes like lasagne and cannelloni tend to be reserved for special occasions in Italy, but if you've the time and the appetite - or a freezer - this would do for any dinner or lunch.
It isn't a traditional recipe, but it's a belter. You can buy dried cannelloni tubes if you'd prefer, but I find getting the mixture into them is akin to surgery, and really too much of a faff. Fresh lasagne sheets (which, ironically I'd never use for lasagne) are ideal for rolling up into tubes.
INGREDIENTS
fennel
carrot
garlic
sage leaves
marsala - sweet sherry would do or even port
minced chicken or turkey - I'm using beef. You could use pork, lamb or whatever you have
Italian sausage - the better the sausage, the better the dish
salami - I had salami di Milano, but any decent cured salami will add a bit of spice
basil leaves
mushrooms
white wine
chicken stock
pepper
ricotta
butter
flour
milk
parmesan or hard pecorino
nutmeg
garlic salt
sheets of fresh lasagne
mozzarella
Watch the video
METHOD
Clean, top and tail the fennel and carrot
Slice them finely and finely chop the garlic
Thickly slice the mushrooms
Chop up the sage leaves
Slice the sausage and salami
Heat up some olive oil in a pan
Put in the fennel, carrot and garlic and cook for about 5 minutes
Add sage and a pinch of salt
Pour in a good splash of Marsala
A good stir and cook for 10 - 15 minutes
Add the meats, mushrooms and basil and stir it all through thoroughly - this will also deglaze the pan
A glass of white wine (in the pan, not in you)
Add about 700ml stock, a grind of pepper, and simmer for 20 minutes
Add a tub of ricotta and stir it in
Cook it all down for about 20 minutes
Meanwhile...
We're making a white sauce. We've done this before - the only difference being we're using some stock in this too (it doesn't have to be milk)
A tablespoon of butter, melt it down and add the same amount of flour
Whisk them together and make sure all the flour is incorporated - otherwise it's not pleasant
A splash of milk, and whisk it till it becomes a paste - this is a roux
Keep adding small amounts of milk and whisking
When you've got a nice, smooth, thick sauce - albeit a small amount - start adding stock the same way: small amounts and whisk it through
As you add more, you can start adding greater quantities
Add nutmeg, garlic salt and pepper
Cook slowly for about 20-30 minutes - keeping an eye on it and giving it the occasional stir with a wooden spoon
Add a good handful of grated Parmesan or Pecorino, and let the sauce continue to cook - slowly - while you...
Lay out sheets of lasagne
Spoon the mince & sausage mix from your pan onto a sheet - maybe 2 spoonfuls; if you overdo it you'll have a whale of a time rolling up the pasta
Make the cannelloni rolls and lay them along a greased ovenproof dish
If you do a second layer, oil the first layer
Pour the sauce over the pasta rolls - it shouldn't be a gloopy thick sauce - that would split in the oven. "Silky" is the best description
Layer slices of mozzarella over the cannelloni
Grate parmesan or Pecorino (or a mix) over the top and dust with nutmeg and pepper
In the oven for 30 minutes at 180ºC