Recipe – Valentine’s Cannelloni

Sorry for the lack of postings in the last few days, but works has been hectic combined with major power problems in the neighborhood bringing down the server on a regular basis. We blew up more equipment with the power surges and this is not making work any easier. I hope that the electricity company manages to fix their problems as we have had power failures daily for the last few weeks. Hopefully on my side I will manage to catch up with work on Wednesday so that we can start posting on our regular schedule.

Tonight’s recipe is a creation that I did for Valentine’s Day. Normita wanted to have a cheese fondue, and we could not find a fondue dish in time. Of course a week and a half later there was one on promotion at the local supermarket so we will have our fondue one of these days when we are in the mood again. These cannelloni are easiest to make with the type or pasta that does not require pre-cooking. If you prefer you can use the regular pasta and pre-cook it.

Ingredients

4 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 pound brown button mushrooms, sliced
1/4 pound portobellini mushrooms, sliced
3 tbs butter
3 tbs flour
1 1/2 cup white wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 parmesan, grated
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup mozzarella, shredded
1/2 cup gruyere, shredded
3 1/2 ounces prosciutto, finely chopped
1/3 pound sliced emmental
1 large egg
1 tsp herbes de Provence
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/3 tsp nutmeg
8 cannelloni

Preparation

1. In a heavy pan sauté the green onions and the mushrooms in the butter until the mushrooms are nice and soft. Reserve 2 tbs of the mushrooms.
2. Lower the heat and add the flour and cooked until it slightly starts taking a bit of color.
3. Slowly add the white wine and stir until very thick then add the cream.
4. Season with half the salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
4. Once the sauce is nice and smooth add half the gruyere and parmesan and stir until nicely melted into the sauce. Keep warm while preparing the rest of the recipe.
5. In a bowl mix the remaining parmesan and gruyere, the ricotta and mozzarella, the egg, the remaining salt pepper and nutmeg, the herbes de Provence, and the prosciutto.
6. Fill the cannelloni shells with the mixture.
7. Place a bit of the sauce at the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the cannelloni on top of the sauce.
8. Poor the remaining sauce on the cannelloni and top with the sliced emmental.
9. Bake in a preheated 400F oven for 20 to 25 minutes until the sauce is bubbly and the cheese is melted and golden.