VEAL AND SPINACH CANNELLONI

Veal and Spinach Cannelloni image

Number Of Ingredients 12

Ingredients

3 to 4 Béchamel Sauce
1 pound fresh spinach
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 pounds boneless veal, cut into 2-inch pieces
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 rib celery (tender), chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, finely chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
1 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
1 1/2 pounds cut into 4-inch squares for cannelloni

Steps:

1 Prepare the béchamel sauce. 2 Put the spinach in a large pot over medium heat with 1/4 cup of water. Cover and cook 2 to 3 minutes or until wilted and tender. Drain and cool. Wrap the spinach in a lint-free cloth and squeeze out as much water as possible. Finely chop the spinach. 3 In a large skillet, melt the butter over mediumlow heat. Add the veal, carrots, celery, onion, and garlic. Season to taste with salt and pepper and a pinch of nutmeg. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the meat is very tender, about 1 hour. If the meat becomes dry, add a little water. Let cool. On a cutting board with a large knife, or in a food processor, chop the mixture very fine. Scrape the meat and spinach into a bowl and add 1 cup of the béchamel and 1 cup of the Parmigiano. Mix well and taste for seasoning. 4 Meanwhile, prepare the pasta. Lay out some lint-free kitchen towels on a flat surface. Have ready a large bowl of cold water. Bring about 4 quarts of water to a boil. Add 2 tablespoons of salt. Add the pasta squares a few pieces at a time. Cook the pasta until tender but slightly underdone. Scoop the pasta out of the water and place it in the cold water. When cool enough to handle, lay the pasta sheets out flat on the towels, which can be stacked one on top of the other. Continue cooking and cooling the remaining pasta in the same way. 5 Spoon half of the remaining béchamel in a thin layer in a large baking pan. Spread about two tablespoons of the filling on one end of each pasta square and roll up, starting from the filled end. Place the pasta roll seam-side down in the prepared pan. Repeat with the remaining pasta and filling, arranging the rolls close together in the pan. Spoon on the remaining sauce and sprinkle with the remaining 1/2 cup of Parmigiano. (Can be made up to 24 hours in advance. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate. Remove from the refrigerator about 1 hour before baking.) 6 Place a rack in the center of the oven. Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake 30 minutes or until the cannelloni are heated through and lightly golden. Serve hot. From "1,000 Italian Recipes." Copyright 2004 by Michele Scicolone. Used with permission of the publisher, Wiley Publishing, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

Nutrition Facts : Nutritional Facts Serves