Cannelloni... "The Best Dinner Ever"

I had a good feeling about this one from early on.  All the ingredients seemed palatable; the composition, style, presentation and cooking methods were all compatible with my girls' preferred taste but never did I think it was going to get labelled "The Best Dinner Ever Mum"... better than Spaghetti Bolognaise. And from my 4yr old, that is saying a lot!  Nothing trumps Spag Bol in this house.  

I wanted to avoid the traditional béchamel sauce style cannelloni (for obvious reasons) so this adaption is from many a recipe I viewed online before attempting my first cannelloni stuffing exercise today.  I was so happy with it that I think it will become one of my staple fun family recipes.  It's not a show-stopper in terms of flavor, spunk or technique but it is one of those dishes you can't help but love.  I loved it even more because I put my two girls plates straight in the dishwasher, without even scrapping away any scraps.  It was a sensational hit and despite what you may think, I don't get to say that very often.   I get the 'you're the best cooker' comment every now and again but it's usually after I've made a batch of cupcakes and have let them ice them on their own - never intending to eat one myself.  Not very often do I hear it after they have eaten a healthy, nutritious meal full of flavour and which took me some time to prepare... those meals almost never get such a good response!

I'm sure I used entirely too many pots to make this tonight, but it was my first attempt so here I go trying to marginalise the process for you.  I hope you and yours enjoy this as much as we did!  

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

meat filling:

extra virgin olive oil

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic

1 full stick celery, finely diced

3 cubes of carrot puree (or 2 carrots finely processed)

250g (1/2 lbs) ground pork

500g (1 lbs) ground beef

handful (at least 1 tblspn) each of freshly chopped parsley, sage, rosemary and oregano

sea salt and pepper

1/2 cup freshly crumbed breadcrumbs

1/2 cup pecorino or fontina cheese, finely grated

1 egg

tomato sauce:

1/2 onion, finely diced

1 clove garlic, minced

2 tins tomatoes, pureed

2 tblspn freshly chopped basil

1 tblspn sherry (or red wine) vinegar

1 tspn sugar

sea salt and pepper

1/2 tin water

cannelloni tubes

parmesan cheese

mozzarella balls (optional)

sage leaves

Method:

• Dice the onion, separate half for the meat and keep the other half aside for the tomato sauce
• Fill and boil the kettle, for par-boiling the cannelloni tubes
• In a large frypan, add the olive oil and heat.  Add the onion and fry off until tender, add the garlic, then pork and beef and cook until browned
• Add the diced celery and carrot puree and the herbs and cook until mixed through.  Season well
• Turn off the heat and set aside
• Process the bread until crumbs (about 3 slices of stale bread) and place in a large bowl.  Add the grated cheese and then mix through the cooled meat mixture.  Add the egg and stir until well combined.  Allow to sit.

• Fill a large saucepan with boiling salted water and par-cook the cannelloni tubes for 3-4 mins. Once they are done, transfer to cold water to stop them from continuing to cook
• Using the same (empty) saucepan, heat a little oil and add the onion for the tomato sauce and cook until tender.
• Add the pureed tomatoes, basil, sherry vinegar and sugar and continue to stir
• Adjust the seasoning, add a little water and allow to simmer until slightly reduced then turn off the heat.  
• Prepare your baking dish with a thin layer of tomato sauce, ready to lay the cannelloni tubes on top
• Using a zip-lock bag, fill the bag with meat mixture and cut the corner so as to use it as a piping bag. Squeeze the mixture into the cooled cannelloni tubes, ensuring the plug the other end with your hand or thumb to avoid it spilling back out.  

(I made 7 tubes tonight but had enough to freeze the other portion of mixture which would have made at least another 6).

• Preheat your oven to 350'F (180'C)
• Layer the finished cannelloni on the baking dish and then top with more tomato sauce

• Cook for approx 25mins uncovered. 
• Then add some grated parmesan cheese and/or ripped mozzarella balls and sage or basil and bake for an additional 5 mins until the cheese has melted and browned
• Serve with a fresh green salad