Christmas Cannelloni!

The focus of this meal is a dish called “mixed meat cannelloni”. We have similar versions of this recipe in two different cookbooks (the kind from Costco with hundreds of recipes) – one is a pasta cookbook and the other a Spanish cookbook. In the Spanish cookbook, they claim that this type of cannelloni, also called “Canelones de San Esteban”, is traditionally eaten in Catalan on the day after Christmas. When I was little we usually had spaghetti for Christmas, so I like the idea of this pasta recipe as a holiday dish. We have made them several times before, and they are one of our favorite dishes - we have incorporated our own variations below. They are quite rich and creamy, so we decided to serve a pear and blue-cheese salad with dinner – the crunch and sharpness as a nice contrast with the creaminess of the cannelloni. For appetizers, we made two types of crostini, as well as bacon-wrapped dates. We had something like this dish at a Spanish Tapas restaurant in town, and although not typically Spanish (more like typically 60’s Betty Crocker but with goat cheese instead of cream cheese) we thought we would try to recreate them, since they were pretty tasty. No dessert this time – dinner was rich enough, and we'd had plenty of sweets during the holidays (and this is coming from Liz, who almost always has room for dessert).

Word from Cory: If you are reading this blog, make the cannelloni, they are more than worth the effort, and are actually better the next day.

Bacon-wrapped dates

Pitting the dates and mixing the goat cheese

Stuffing the dates

The finished product, before and after.

Margherita topping

Tomatoes and basil, chopped

Cheese!

Caramelized onion topping

Caramelized onions, mixed with remaining ingredients

Crostini

One Baguette, sliced

Crostini, toasted and topped

Blue cheese and pear salad

The ingredients; prep work

Toasted walnuts; the finished salad, served with dinner

Mixed Meat Cannelloni

Prepping and pureeing the produce

Sauteeing the veggies; two kinds of meat!

Cooking the meat in the sauteed veggies.

Bechemel ingredients

Making the roux

Adding the milk to make the bechemel

Parmesan Cheese (Elvis's favorite kind!)

Manicotti tubes, parboiled

Stuffing the tubes

Arranging and layering the components

Christmas Cannelloni for dinner!

Bacon-wrapped dates

6 whole dates, preferably medjool, pitted
2 oz creamy goat cheese
1/2 tsp milk or cream
Pinch salt
1/4 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
3 strips bacon, cut in half

Heat oven to 425 degrees. Mix together cheese, salt, pepper, and milk. Add more milk if necessary to make cheese creamy. Cut a slit in each date and stuff with cheese mixture. Wrap stuffed dates with bacon. Arrange on rack over baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, turning at least once, until bacon is crisp and browned.

If I were to do this again, I would add a walnut or pecan half/quarter to each date before wrapping with the bacon, for a bit more crunch.

Crostini

1 baguette, sliced into ½ inch slices
Margherita topping (recipe below)

Caramelized onion topping (recipe below)

Toast slices of bread in oven until lightly brown on both sides. Serve with toppings.

Margherita topping

1 cup chopped tomatoes (use whichever kind look best at the store)
¼ cup chopped basil
2 oz mozzarella cheese, chopped into small dice
1 T extra-virgin olive oil
½ tsp balsamic vinegar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
Pinch sugar

Mix together all ingredients. Add more oil/vinegar/salt/sugar if necessary to balance flavors. Serve on crostini.

Caramelized onion topping

1 large onion, chopped
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp sugar
½ tsp salt
½ tsp freshly ground pepper
½ tsp garlic powder
1 tsp grated parmesan cheese
1 Tbsp chopped Italian parsley
1-2 Tbsp mayonnaise

Saute onion in oil until softened and beginning to caramelize. Add sugar, salt, pepper, and garlic powder, sauté 2-3 minutes further. Remove from heat. Mix in cheese and parsley. Add enough mayonnaise to make creamy and spreadable, starting with a very small amount and adding more to taste. Serve on crostini.

Blue cheese and pear salad

Salad:
3 cups mixed leaf lettuce
1 - 2 ounces blue cheese, crumbled (I used Point Reyes Blue Cheese)1 Pear (D’Anjou preferred), peeled and cubed
½ cup red grapes, sliced in half
¼ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped

Dressing:
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp walnut oil (optional)
1 Tbsp black fig-infused balsamic vinegar
½ tsp sugar
Pinch salt
¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Whisk together all dressing ingredients; taste for seasoning and balance. Mix together all salad ingredients and toss with dressing. Garnish with additional walnuts and cheese, if desired.

Mixed Meat Cannelloni

12 cannelloni or manicotti tubes

For meat filling:

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
2 crushed garlic cloves
2 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and finely chopped
½ lb ground beef
½ lb ground pork
½ lb ground veal (or use equal parts beef and pork if unavailable)
2 Tbsp Brandy

For white sauce:

2 Tbsp plus ¼ cup butter
6 Tbsp heavy cream
½ cup flour
3 ¾ cups milk
1 tsp salt, divided
¼ tsp pepper
¼ tsp Nutmeg

1 cup parmesan cheese, finely grated

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring a pot of water to a boil and add pasta tubes. Boil for about 5 minutes, until partially cooked but still somewhat firm – they will finish cooking in the oven and this makes them easier to fill. Heat olive oil in pan, add onion, garlic, tomatoes, and carrot. Cook over low heat, stirring for about 10 minutes or until soft. Add meats. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently to break up as finely as possible. Then add 2 Tbsp of butter, 2 Tbsp Brandy, 6 Tbsp heavy cream, and ½ tsp salt and cook gently stirring occasionally for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool.

To make white sauce, melt 1/4 cup of butter in medium saucepan. Add flour and cook, stirring for 1-2 minutes – it will clump up but keep stirring until it is a very thick paste. Add 3 3/4 cups of milk slowly while whisking vigorously (I add a little at a time and incorporate thoroughly before adding more – it is slow but means that the sauce stays smooth). Bring to the boil and cook, stirring, until smooth and thick. Season with remaining ½ tsp salt, pepper, and nutmeg and whisk well. Remove from heat.

Spoon a little of the white sauce into a baking dish. Fill the tubes with the meat mixture and place in a single layer in the dish, Pour the remaining white sauce over them, then sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake for 35-40 minutes until heated through. Allow to stand for 10 minutes, and then serve.