Thamnophis Folks' Recipes - Italian

[Garter_Gertie]

Maybe Boots will let us have an area for just recipes and we can have different recipe threads that are different catagories. Like this one would go in the above thread; it's one of my favorites and I'm making it today:

Cannelloni, From Time Life Books, 1968

Make your own cannelloni or use manicotti noodles like I do.

Filling:

2 tbs olive oil (or butter)

1/4 cut finely chopped onions

1 tsp finely chopped garlic

1, 10 oz package frozen chopped spinach, defrosted, squeezed completely dry and choppedagain; or 3/4 to 1 lb fresh spinach cooked, drained, squeezed and finley chopped
Note: There really *is* a taste diffrence using the fresh. It's more work than anyone wants to go to, but it really does make a difference.

2 tbs butter

1 pound ground beef

2 chicken livers - I omit

5 tbs freshly grated imported Parmesan cheese
Don't use Kraft! It will *not* taste the same! You can also use Asiago or Romano if you like a bit more bite to your cheese like I do.

2 tbs heavy cream

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano, crumbled

Salt - I omit

Freshly ground black pepper

FILLING: Heat the olive oil in an 8- to 10-inch enameled or stainless-steel skillet. Add the onions and garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently, for 7 or 8 minutes until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the spinach and cook, stirring constantly, for 3 or 4 minutes. When all of the moisture has boiled away and the spinach sticks lightly to the pan, transfer to a large mixing bowl. Melt 1 tbs of butter in the same skillet and lightly brown the ground meat, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Add the meat to the onion-spinach mixture. Then melt 1 more tbs of butter in the skillet and cook the livers, turning them frequently, for 3 or 4 minutes, until they are somewhat firm, lightly browned but still pink inside. Chomp them coarsely. Then add them to the mixture in the bowl along with 5 tbs of Parmesan, 2 tbs of cream, the eggs and oregano. With a wooden spoon, mix the ingredients together, gently but thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

Besciamella:

4 tbs butter
4 tbs flour
1 c milk
1 c heavy cream
1 tsp salt - I omit
1/8 tsp white pepper - I omit

BESCIAMELLA: In a heavey 2-3 quart saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the flour. Pour in the milk and cream all at once,whisking constatnly until the flour is partially dissolved. Then return the pan to high heat and cook, stirring constantly with the whisk. When the sauce comes to a boil and is smooth, reduce the heat. Simmer, still stirring, for 2 or 3 minutes longer, or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the wires of the whisk heavily. Remove the sauce from the heat and season with salt and white pepper.

NOTE: I double the above as I like white sauce. Also, jarred white sauce could be used here to save time.

Tomato Sauce:

I use the recipe recommended in the cook book, doubled, that follows; however you can use your favorite family tomato sauce recipe or even about 1.5 (3 doubled) cups Rago or your favorite can/jarred tomato sauce to save time.

2 tbs olive oil or butter

1/2 cup finley chopped onions

2 c Italian plum or whole-pack tomatos, coarsely chopped but not drained (Note: I don't bother to chop, but cook longer than the 40 minutes recommended and cook down the tomatoes, chopping them as they cook.)

3 tbs tomato paste

1 tbs finely cut fresh basil

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp salt - I omit

Freshly ground black pepper

Tomatoe Sauce: Using a 2-3 quart enameled or stainless-steel saucepan,heat the olive oil until a light haze forms over it. Add the onions and cook them over moderate heat for 7 to 8 minutes,or until they are soft but not browned. Add the tomatos, tomato paste, basil, sugar, salt and a few grindings of pepper. Reduce the heat to very low and simmer, with the pan partially covered, for about 40 minutes. Stir ocassionally.

Press the sauce through a fine sieve (or a food mill) into a bowl or pan. Note: I don't bother to do this.

Again, I double the above and actually use more onions than called for, put in a wee pinch of oregeno and add lots of garlic.

ASSEMBLING AND BAKING THE CANNELLONI: Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. If you're using fresh made cannelloni: Place a tablespoon or so of the filling on the bottom third of each of the past rectangles and roll them up. If using the manicotti noodles, stuff those puppies!

Pour a thin film of the tomato sauce into a "lasagne pan" - 13" X 9"? Lay the cannelloni/manicotti side-by-side in one layer of the pan. Note: 10 manicotti will go length-wise with four going 2 by 2 beneath that row:

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Pour the besciamella over it and spoon the rest of the tomato sauce on top. Scatter in 4 tbs of grated cheese (I use far far more than this for a crunchy top) and dot with 2 tbs butter. Bake uncovered in the middle of the oven for 20 minutes or utnil the cheese is melted and the sauce bubbling. Slide the bakind dish under a hot broiler for 30 seconds to brown the top. Serve directly from the baking dish.

>>>>>The reason I double both sauces is this is how I do it: Pour a thin film of the tomato sauce into the pan. Put in the stuffed manicotti and pour the remaining tomato sauce over them all.

Cover with all the besciamella, top with as much fresh shredded cheese as you like, dot with butter and proceed as recipe says.

My boss at GE was Italian 100%. I gave her this recipe(s) and it's now a staple for their Christmas dinner. It tastes way better as a left over and reheated! It sounds harder than what it really is due to the steps. But it is well worth the trouble.

[Snake lover 3-25]

mmmmmm sounds delicious

[olive oil]

What time is dinner?

[Stefan-A]

What time is dinner?

In about 20 hours.

[Stefan-A]

Too complicated. If it has more than 4 steps, I'm not doing it.

By the way, this is very off-topic.

[reptile3]

Too complicated. If it has more than 4 steps, I'm not doing it.

By the way, this is very off-topic.

I am soooo with you on this Stefan!!!

[Lori P]

Great idea for all you cooking types. :-) But you better make enough to share with all of us!!

[Garter_Gertie]

Stefan, did I put it in the wrong forum? I thought I put it in the one *not* garter snake related... If I didn't, I'm sorry. Would you move it, please?

[Stefan-A]

Stefan, did I put it in the wrong forum? I thought I put it in the one *not* garter snake related... If I didn't, I'm sorry. Would you move it, please?

The lounge is where we put off-topic stuff. It's in the right place.

[Garter_Gertie]

Say, about the only thing I make that's less than four steps/ingreidents - please note I ONLY cool like this on weekends and eat this stuff all week. During the week I don't cook and usually go hungry.

Anyway... Cheese Rice. Cook up some Minute Rice - you got that over there? Then cut up some Velveeta to taste into it. YUM!!!!!!!!! If feeling adventurous fry up some bacon and/or saute some onions... And go to heaven! And/or toss in some blanched broccoli. TO DIE FOR!

I'm a slow food foodie...