Meat Canneloni

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Meat Canneloni's are my favorite Italian food. However, I am disappointed each time I order in a restaurant. These delicious canneloni's are the best I have ever had and worth every minute of preparation. I make my béchamel sauce with a basil addition, giving my dish another layer of flavor.

 

This is freezer friendly!

By request! A friend of mine requested my canneloni recipe.

Meat Canneloni
adapted from Eva Kenly

2 T olive oil
1 1/4 c. chopped yellow onion
3 garlic cloves, minced
3/4 c. chopped parsley
3 T. unsalted butter
1 lb. ground beef 
1/2 lb. ground veal
1/2 lb sage sausage (Jimmy Dean), use a sausage you can find 
1/2 c. red wine (I use cabernet)
salt and pepper
1 tsp. oregano
3 T. tomato paste
2 large eggs. lightly beaten
1 c. grated Parmesan cheese

Fresh pasta sheets- can find at Whole Foods, Pasta and Company, or make your own. You can also use crepes for this.
1 recipe Basic Tomato sauce, recipe follows (amount used depends on size of pan or individual pans) often, I do a combination of both. I made a large pan with 10, canneloni's, and 5 individual vessels with two canneloni's on each)

3 c. Basil Cream sauce, recipe follows

Topping- 1/2-1 c. grated Parmesan

Heat oil and saute onions until soft, using low heat. Add garlic and cook for one minute. Stir in parsley and remove to a bowl.

In the same pan, add 3 tablespoons butter and cook all the meats until no longer pink. Add tomato paste and wine and cook until wine has evaporated. Season with salt, pepper and oregano. Add to the onions and cool.

Combine the eggs with the cheese and add to the meat mixture. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.

Spray your vessels with Pam. 

Preheat oven to 375 F degrees.

With a tablespoon, put the meat onto your pasta. I use just over a 1/2 cup of meat in each canneloni, it is a judgement call. Roll it up. I use about a 6 inch length of pasta for each canneloni, again, it's up to you. I used 6 pasta sheets for 21 canneloni's.

Spread 3/4 cup of tomato sauce into your large vessel then place the canneloni's in. Cover with Basil cream sauce. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of Parmesan over top.

Bake for 30-35 minutes. Let it rest for 10-15 minutes before serving.

Basil Cream Sauce

5 T. unsalted butter
2 shallots, finely chopped
4 T flour
1/2 c. white wine
1/2 c. chicken stock
2 c. half and half
1 c. grated Parmesan Cheese
1/2 c. fresh basil, chopped (I use the cups of chopped herbs "Gourmet Garden" lightly dried. Found at grocery by herbs.
salt and white pepper

In a saucepan, heaat the butter and cook shallots until soft. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

Heat wine, stock and half and half. Off heat, whisk liquid into roux. Return to low heat and cook gently until sauce thickness, about 8 minutes. Stir in cheese and basil. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
I sauce is too thick, thin with chicken stock. 

Basic Tomato Sauce 

2 T unsalted butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 c. onions
1/2 c. chopped carrots
1/2 c. celery
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1 T. flour
1 can 28 ounces Italian peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. basil
2 T tomato paste 
salt and pepper to taste

In a large sauce pan,heat butter and oil. cook the onions, carrots and celry until soft, but not brown; about 6-8 minutes. Use low heat and cover the pan, this way the vegetables will not brown.

Add the flour, stir well, cook for 1-2 minutes.

Add the remaining ingredients, partially cover the pan, and cook for 1 hour, stirring often. If sauce gets to thick, add chicken or beef stock. 

After 1 hour, strain sauce through a sieve, pressing the vegetables to get all the sauce out. 

This can be made ahead and freeze. I use this sauce for my Zucchini Meatloaf Provence.
Because the meats are usually in 1 lb increments when packaged, I used the other half of my ground veal and ground sausage to make a meat loaf with the addition of ground beef. I also, doubled my recipe for Tomato sauce.
 
 I made 21 canneloni's from this recipe. Which was enough for 3 dinners for Wee Bear and I, and a big pan with 10 canneloni's for a dinner while on our "glamping trip" to Montana in a couple weeks with family. 


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We are gearing up for our annual trip to Lake Chelan! This year will be a little different with the "Covid19 Pandemic". We own our condo's so we are allowed in, however, the timeshares are closed and no renters. Restaurants and wineries are open with limitations.  Our son and daughter and families will be going! The cousins will have some cousin fun with lot's of games and water activities planned! We are fortunate to have families that have been following protocol and looking after us throughout this pandemic. Thanks kids!  

So many events have been cancelled since February. Ski trips, concerts, class reunions (my 50th), graduations, travel, birthday parties, weddings, anniversary parties and the event of  seeing family and friends. Wee Bear and I have been fortunate in that we have adult children who have called to check on us and have been doing our shopping, errands etc. My daughter and I have been making beautiful masks for everyone, family, friends, hospitals and clinics, over 700 masks. If you would like a custom embroidered mask with your team, your college or business logo contact her at maylee moxie. 

                                               



Mom turns 100!! I had a huge party planned for Mom, however, as is the norm these days, it was postponed. Instead, I arranged a huge parade with the UW Husky alumni band, the police and fire departments, family and friends from near and far on her birthday! The clouds parted 5 minutes before the Husky marching band led us in and it didn't rain until 1 hour after the parade ended! We had reporters from nearby newspapers and a cameraman from FOX filming! Taking still photo's was my friend Fawn. The clip of the parade aired at least 10 times on TV, it was awesome! Mom had her parade wave down and was smiling ear to ear! 

Stay safe...."Hope is NOT cancelled"!

Cheers! JJ