Cannelloni with Two Sauces
This recipe for homemade Cannelloni (rectangle-shapes of flat pasta dough that are filled and then rolled into large tube shapes and topped with a sauce), uses spinach and ground beef flavored with Parmesan cheese for the filling. They are topped off with a layer of Cream Sauce, then a Tomato-Wine Sauce and baked.
Pasta Noodles:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp. salt
1 egg yolk
1 whole egg
2 - 4 Tbsp. water
Filling:
1 Tbsp. oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, finely chopped
6 oz. spinach, chopped
3/4 pound ground beef
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 egg, beaten
salt
1/2 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp. basil
pepper
Tomato-Wine Sauce:
1 medium onion, chopped
1 Tbsp. oil
16-oz can tomatoes
3 oz tomato paste
1/2 cup dry red wine
2 Tbsp. parsley
1 tsp. basil
1 tsp. sugar
salt and pepper
Cream Sauce:
2 Tbsp. butter or margarine
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
salt & pepper
1 cup half-and-half
2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, for assembling
Make the Pasta:
Mix together the flour and salt. Make a well in center of flour. Add egg yolk and whole egg; stir with fork until mixed. Sprinkle with a 2 - 4 Tbsp. water to make a stiff dough. Gather dough into a ball. Knead on lightly floured cloth-covered board until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
Divide dough into halves. Roll one half into a 13-inch square; trim to a 12" square. Cut into 4" squares (9 total). Repeat with remaining dough for a total of 18 squares.
Heat water to rapid boil; stir in the noodles. Cook uncovered over medium heat until nearly tender. Drain; rinse with cold water. Place in single layer between sheets of wax paper until ready to use.
Make the Tomato-Wine Sauce:
Saute the onion in the oil. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer for 1 hour. Cool and put through a food mill.
Make the Cream Sauce:
Heat butter over low heat until melted. Blend in flour, salt and pepper. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, until smooth and bubbly; remove from heat. Stir in half-and-half. Heat to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir 1 minute; cover and keep warm. If sauce thickens, beat in small amount of milk. Sauce should be the consistency of heavy cream.
Make the Filling:
Saute the onion and garlic in the oil until the onions are transluscent. Add the spinach just until wilted. Place mixture in a bowl.
Add the beef to the pan and saute until the meat loses its red color. Let cool a bit. Add the Parmesan cheese, beaten egg, salt, oregano, basil and pepper. Mix well.
To Assemble:
Pour a layer of tomato-wine sauce in a baking dish.
Place 1 Tbsp. filling on bottom third of each pasta square. Roll up and place cannelloni, seam-side down, in the pan. The cannelloni should be placed a single layer. Pour the cream sauce over, then the rest of the tomato-wine sauce. Sprinkle with 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese.
Bake uncovered at 375 degrees F until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes before serving.
18 cannelloni - 6 to 8 servings
