Jackson Jambalaya

This is an old recipe that is always a hit. Yes, it is lengthy to put together, but you can simplify. It just won't be as good as mine. I like to make it from scratch, but I really like the process, so that doesn't bother me. When completed, it is what I would expect from a nice Italian cook, like the dish Mama Giordano always made when the priest was coming over. 

This is classic Italian cooking at it's very best. No, it is not a quick dish to prepare, but none of the steps are all that complicated. If you plan just a little, it can be put on the table in maybe two hours. As Uncle Salvatore would say, "Serve it with a nice Chianti. and a curst of bread to wipe up the sauce from the plate."  

Cannelloni - with Beef and Spinach

Pasta:

Need

2 cups Semolina flour (you can use AP if you like)
2 (large) eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons water (added as needed)

Directions

Mound semolina, make a well of flour on work surface and add eggs salt and oil to well.

Slowly pull the flour into the well with your fingers or a fork to incorporate ingredients. Add water as needed to make the pasta dough ball. It will most likely take the full 2 Tablespoons of water. The pasta must be thoroughly kneaded to develop the gluten in the flour. The more kneading, the tenderer the pasta will be. With the dough on the work surface, press the ball down firmly with the heel of the palm to compress and stretch it. Then fold the dough back over onto the pressed area and repeat again and again for 10 minutes. As you work the pasta, the ball will begin to get firm and shiny.

Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and rest it for 40 minutes, while you work the rest of the dish. The pasta will be made toward the end of the preparation, just before filling it. Note: Most Pasta dough may be stored in the fridge for a few days. Once cut and dried, It may be stored in a plastic bag in the pantry.

Sugo di Pomodoro - a very thick marinara sauce.

Ingredients:

Tomatoes - 28 ounce Fresh or canned - Buy good tomatoes.
Small can of Tomato Paste
Onions – 3 medium, chopped - a little over a cup.
Garlic - two cloves, minced
Olive oil - 2 Tablespoons - for sauté use
Basil - Two Tablespoons fresh
Oregano - one Tablespoon (dried) 2 Tablespoons fresh
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Directions

Sauté onions and garlic in Olive Oil until translucent. 

Crush the tomatoes. (wife's hand shown - She is an excellent tomato crusher)

Add tomatoes and paste to the vegetables in the sauté pan with the can of tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and black pepper. Cook covered at a slow simmer (low heat so as to not burn the sauce) for 30 - 40 minutes. Stir occasionally as the sauce will tend to stick as it gets thick. Sugo di Pomodoro should be thick and rich in color and flavor.

Meat filling:

Ingredients:

2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Ground Round (preferred for lower fat content)
Butter - 2 Tablespoons for cooking beef and chicken liver
1 or 2 Chicken Livers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 clove minced garlic
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese fine shred
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 egg - beaten
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Sauté onions in olive oil and add chopped spinach. Sauté the spinach until it is dry. Then set aside.

Cook the beef in a Tablespoon of butter with a little salt and pepper.

Add the cooked beef to the bowl with vegetables.

Sauté the chicken liver until firm, in butter with a little black pepper.

Coarse chop and add to bowl. Add shredded Parmesan, the egg and a tablespoon of heavy cream. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Béchamel Sauce

Need:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Add the flour to 2 Tablespoons melted butter in sauté pan. Cook the flour four minutes. Do not brown the flour. This is a blond sauce. Add milk and heavy cream to the blond roux and stir with a whisk until a thick heavy cream sauce forms. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Making Cannelloni pasta

Directions

The pasta should be firm. When pressed with your finger, it should hold a dimple.

Process the pasta dough through a pasta machine several times on setting 7, folding and re-running the dough maybe four or six times, then reduce the setting one number at a time, until reaching setting 1, should yield very thin pasta. The best pasta will be very thin (almost translucent), so that you can almost see through it.

After processing, cut the sheets into 4 by 6 inch pieces and place on clean towels for a few minutes before precooking for 3 minutes in lightly salted boiling water. Remove cooked paste and place on a clean towel for filling. If you can see through it, you have done well.

Assemble the Cannelloni

Directions:

Place a thin layer of Sugo di Pomodoro on the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole.

Portion a small amount of the meat filling on the pasta - it doesn't take much - balance of flavor and all.

Roll the cannelloni tubes and place them in the casserole. Cover the rolled cannelloni portions with Béchamel.

Then top with Sugo di Pomodoro and the Parmesan.

Cook at 350 degrees F until cheese has melted, sauce shows bubbles and cannelloni rolls are heated all the way through.

A nice chianti,

Serve and enjoy.  This side was broccolini,

Leftovers are nice, too

This is obviously a lengthy preparation, but it's not really all that complicated if taken a step at a time. The end results are worth the time spent to do it right.

Thanks for looking at my post.
God Bless you

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Recipe with no photos

Cannelloni with beef and spinach

Pasta:

Need

2 cups Semolina flour (you can use AP if you like)
2 (large) eggs
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons water (added as needed)

Directions

Mound semolina, make a well of flour on work surface and add eggs salt and oil to well. Slowly pull the flour into the well with your fingers or a fork to incorporate ingredients. Add water as needed to make the pasta dough ball. It will most likely take the full 2 Tablespoons of water. The pasta must be thoroughly kneaded to develop the gluten in the flour. The more kneading, the tenderer the pasta will be. With the dough on the work surface, press the ball down firmly with the heel of the palm to compress and stretch it. Then fold the dough back over onto the pressed area and repeat again and again for 10 minutes. As you work the pasta, the ball will begin to get firm and shiny. Wrap the ball in plastic wrap and rest it for 40 minutes, while you work the rest of the dish. The pasta will be made toward the end of the preparation, just before filling it. Note: Pasta dough may be stored in the fridge for a few days. It may be made and dried to allow for several weeks storage in a plastic bag in the pantry.

Sugo di Pomodoro - a very thick marinara sauce.

Need

Tomatoes - 28 ounce Fresh or canned - Buy good tomatoes.
Small can of Tomato Paste
Onions – 3 medium, chopped - a little over a cup.
Garlic - two cloves, minced
Olive oil - 2 Tablespoons - for sauté use
Basil - Two Tablespoons fresh
Oregano - one Tablespoon (dried) 2 Tablespoons fresh
Sugar - 1 teaspoon
Salt - 1/2 teaspoon
Black pepper - 1 teaspoon

Directions

Sauté onions and garlic in Olive Oil until translucent. Crush the tomatoes. Add tomatoes to the vegetables in the sauté pan with the can of tomato paste, basil, oregano, sugar, salt and black pepper. Cook covered at a slow simmer (low heat so as to not burn the sauce) for 30 - 40 minutes. Stir occasionally as the sauce will tend to stick as it gets thick. Sugo di Pomodoro should be thick and rich in color and flavor.

Meat filling:

Need:
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1/2 pound Ground Round
Butter - 2 Tablespoons for cooking beef and chicken liver
1 or 2 Chicken Livers
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 clove minced garlic
6 ounces fresh spinach, chopped
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese fine shred
1 Tablespoon heavy cream
1 egg - beaten
1 teaspoon oregano
Salt & pepper to taste

Directions

Sauté onions in olive oil and add chopped spinach. Sauté the spinach until it is dry. Then set aside. Cook the beef in a Tablespoon of butter with a little salt and pepper. Add the cooked beef to the bowl with vegetables. Sauté the chicken liver until firm, in butter with a little black pepper. Coarse chop and add to bowl. Add shredded Parmesan, the egg and a tablespoon of heavy cream. Mix well. Taste for seasoning and set aside.

Béchamel Sauce

Need:
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Directions

Add the flour to 2 Tablespoons melted butter in sauté pan. Cook the flour four minutes. Do not brown the flour. This is a blond sauce. Add milk and heavy cream to the blond roux and stir with a whisk until a thick heavy cream sauce forms . Taste and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Making Cannelloni pasta

Directions

The pasta should be firm. When pressed with your finger, it should hold a dimple.

Process the pasta dough through a pasta machine several times on setting 7, folding and re-running the dough maybe four or six times, then reduce the setting one number at a time, until reaching setting 1, should yield very thin pasta. The best pasta will be very thin (almost translucent), so that you can almost see through it. After processing, cut the sheets into 4 by 6 inch pieces and place on clean towels for a few minutes before precooking for 3 minutes in lightly salted boiling water. Remove cooked paste and place on a clean towel for filling.

Assemble the Cannelloni

Directions:

Place a thin layer of Sugo di Pomodoro on the bottom of a lightly oiled casserole. Portion a small amount of the meat filling on the pasta - it doesn't take much - balance of flavor and all. Roll the cannelloni tubes and place them in the casserole. Cover the rolled cannelloni portions with Béchamel, then top with Sugo di Pomodoro and the Parmesan.

Cook at 350 degrees f until sauce is bubbly and cannelloni is heated all the way through.