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1
Cook the Meat Filling
15 Mins • Frying
Medium-high heat, about 190°C (375°F)
Heat the olive oil in a large frying pan and soften the onion and garlic for 3 minutes. Add the ground pork and fry for 5 minutes, breaking it up, then add the diced chicken and livers and fry 5 minutes more until all the meat is cooked through — ground pork must reach 71°C (160°F) and chicken 74°C (165°F). Season with salt, pepper and a grating of nutmeg, pour in the brandy and let it bubble for 2 minutes, then stir in the crushed tomato and cook 3 minutes until the mixture is moist but not wet.
Cook the brandy off properly — raw alcohol tastes harsh against the béchamel.
Done when: Meat browned and cooked through, mixture moist, no pool of liquid.
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2
Bind and Cool the Filling
10 Mins • Mixing & Cooling
Room temperature, about 21°C (70°F)
Tip the meat into a bowl and let it cool for 10 minutes. Stir in the breadcrumbs and the beaten egg and mix until the filling holds together in a soft log when squeezed. Taste and adjust the salt — remember the cheese on top is salty too. A smooth, almost pâté-like filling is the Catalan way, so chop any large pieces of chicken as you mix.
Cool first, then add the egg — hot meat scrambles it and the filling turns grainy.
Done when: Filling holds a firm log shape when squeezed.
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3
Cook the Pasta Sheets
8 Mins • Boiling
Boiling salted water, 100°C (212°F)
Boil the cannelloni sheets in a large pot of salted water for 2 minutes less than the packet time — they finish cooking in the oven. Lift them out with a slotted spoon and lay them flat on clean tea towels so they do not stick together. If you are using ready-made tubes, skip this step.
Undercook deliberately. Pasta that is already soft turns to mush under béchamel in the oven.
Done when: Sheets pliable and slightly firm in the centre.
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4
Make the Béchamel
10 Mins • Sauce
Medium heat, about 175°C (350°F)
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat, stir in the flour and cook the roux for 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells nutty. Pour in the warm milk a little at a time, whisking hard after each addition, then simmer gently for about 5 minutes until the sauce coats the back of a spoon. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. Keep the sauce warm with a piece of buttered paper on the surface so no skin forms while you roll.
Warm milk and constant whisking are the two rules. Cold milk into a hot roux is how lumps are born.
Done when: Smooth sauce that coats a spoon and falls in a slow ribbon.
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5
Roll the Canelons
12 Mins • Filling & Rolling
Room temperature, about 21°C (70°F)
Spread a thin layer of the warm béchamel over the base of the buttered baking dish. Working one sheet at a time, spoon a log of filling along one edge, roll the pasta around it, and lay the canelon seam-side down in the dish, snug against its neighbours. You should have about 18 canelons in a single layer.
Do not overfill — a thin log rolls neatly; a fat one bursts in the oven.
Done when: Neat tubes, seam down, in a single snug layer.
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6
Top with Cheese and Bake
25 Mins • Baking
Oven 190°C (375°F); centre 74°C (165°F)
Pour the béchamel over the canelons, covering them completely, and scatter the grated Emmental over the top. Bake at 190°C (375°F) for about 25 minutes until the top is deep golden with browned spots and the sauce is bubbling at the edges. Rest for 5 minutes before serving so the canelons set and slice cleanly.
Cover every bit of pasta with sauce — any bare edge dries out and turns to cardboard in the oven.
Done when: Top golden and bubbling; centre hot, at least 74°C (165°F).
auto_awesome Finishing Touches & Plating
Rest the canelons for 5 minutes out of the oven, then serve three per person with a green salad. The béchamel should be golden on top and creamy underneath.
Andorra
1h 5m
France
Vietnam