Cannelloni

Step 1

To make the cannelloni, start with the filling. Clean and finely chop the celery, carrot, and onion 1 . Then removing the casing from the sausage and chop the meat using a knife 2 . Now move to the stove. Add a drizzle of oil to a warm pot, then add the sausage and let it brown well 3 .

Step 2

When it’s nice and golden, pour in the chopped vegetables and stir 4 , then let them sweat for 5-6 minutes. Next, add the ground beef 5 , stir, and turn up the heat. Let the beef brown slowly. Deglaze with the red wine 6 and stir again.

Step 3

As soon as the alcohol has evaporated, add the tomato purée 7 . Stir to combine everything and rinse the pot with a little water to remove any remaining stuck-on pieces, then season with salt. Cover the pot with a vented lid and leave to cook for an hour 8 , checking on it every once in a while. Meanwhile, make the egg pasta. Pour the flour into a bowl, beat the egg lightly 9 , and then add to the bowl as well.

Step 4

Work the mixture with your hands to combine all the ingredients 10 . Next, transfer to a pastry board 11 and work it some more until you get a smooth and even, firm and elastic dough 12 . Shape this dough into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and leave it to rest for around one hour in a cool, dry place so that it develops the right elasticity.

Step 5

Now make the béchamel sauce. First, heat the milk, seasoned with the grated nutmeg and salt 13 . Add the butter to another pot and let it melt completely 14 . Sift the flour and, once the butter has melted, add this flour to the butter and stir vigorously 15 .

Step 6

After a couple of minutes, you’ll get a hazelnut-colored roux. Remove the pot from the heat for a moment and pour in the hot milk 16 . Keep stirring until the béchamel is thick but still fluid 17 , around 4-5 minutes. Transfer the béchamel to a glass bowl and cover with plastic wrap 18 . Once cool, if the sauce is too dense, you can dilute it with a little milk.

Step 7

Take your egg pasta dough 19 that’s been rested and developed the right elasticity, and divide it in two. Put each half through a dough sheeter 20 , starting with the thicker side and finishing with the thinner one. You need to get a sheet about the thickness of a nickel coin (2 mm). If you don’t have a dough sheeter, you can roll out the dough by hand using a lightly floured rolling pin. Cut the sheets of dough into rectangles measuring 4x5.5 inches (10x14 cm) 21 .

Step 8

Next, blanch your pasta rectangles one at a time in boiling, slightly salted water 22 , for about 1 minute each. Drain and transfer to a tray covered with a clean kitchen cloth. Be sure to lay the pasta out perfectly, without the rectangles overlapping each other 23 . If you’d like, you can also run them under cold water to stop the cooking process. In the meantime, the ragu will be ready and will have cooled 24 . Set 1/2 lb (250 g) aside.

Step 9

Add the grated cheese 25 to the remaining ragu and season with pepper 26 . Stir and place in the fridge 27 .

Step 10

Take one pasta rectangle and fill it with ragu just in the bottom half 28 , leaving about an inch of space from the top edge. Then roll the pasta up onto itself 29 . Seal the pasta to make a cylinder 30 .

Step 11

Spread a couple of spoonfuls of béchamel on the bottom of a 9x13-inch (20x30-cm) baking dish 31 . Arrange your cannelloni in the dish. Cover with the remaining béchamel and ragu that you set aside, and 2 tbsp of grated Parmigiano Reggiano cheese 32 . Bake your cannelloni in a conventional oven preheated to 390°F (200°C) for 15 minutes on the middle rack, and then for 5 minutes at 465°F (240°C) on the highest rack and in broiler mode, until a golden crust forms on top. Now you just have to serve your cannelloni while they’re still hot 33 !