Canelloni Recipe from Marino d'Antonio

It was delicious... believe me it looked good too, sorry I forgot the before shot!

Here is the magic formula kindly shared with me by Chef Marino d'Antonio at Sureno, Opposite House, Beijing.

Canelloni Ripieni

For 3kg of Ragu sauce:

600g ground lean minced beef 400g coarsely ground lean pork

200g pancetta diced or chopped 100g chopped onion

100g carrot diced 100g celery diced

1kg peeled tomato (canned) 300ml dry white wine

500ml fresh milk 3 bay leaves

black pepper and salt to taste

Method for Ragu sauce

1. Place the pancetta in a large, thick bottomed stainless steel saucepan, stir and cook over a low flame until the fat is melted. Add the onion and keep stirring till the onion is translucent.
2. Add the carrot, celery and bay leaves and keep cooking until the vegetables start to soften and get some colour.
3. Turn the flame up high and add the ground meats (previously mixed and seasoned with salt and pepper and mixed well by hand).
4. Keep cooking and stirring with  wooden spoon until the meat is well done.
5. Pour in the white wine and keep cooking until the wine has evaporated.
6. Briefly process the tomatoes in a blender and add to the pot. Continue cooking slowly over a low flame for at least 2 hours. If it becomes dry add some beef stock.
7. Add some milk and chicken stock, stir, reduce heat and leave to simmer.
8. Continue adding the milk and stock over the next 60 minutes while simmering.
9. Season to taste and leave to rest.
10. Traditionally the ragu sauce should be served with tagliatelle - not spaghetti.

Method for Tagliatelle/Canelloni

For the dough:

1kg pasta flour

8 whole fresh eggs

1. Mix the flour and the eggs by hand or in a food processor
2. Cover and leave the dough to rest in a cool place for 2 hours.
3. Roll out the dough with a pasta machine.

(If making tagliatelle arrange in the traditional nest shape and leave to dry.)

Making the Canelloni:

Cheese stuffing:

Ricotta 100g

1 egg yolk 

Spinach 100g

Parmigano cheese 50g

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl.

Besciamelle sauce:

Butter 100g

Flour 100g

Milk 1 litre

50g parmigano cheese

1. Boil the milk.
2. In another pot, cook the butter with the flour for 5 minutes. Pour the milk on top of the butter and add the parmigano. Stir well together
3. Dough: Roll into sheets with pasta machine and cut into 14 squares each 10cm x 10cm. Roll one canelloni and stuff with Bolognese sauce and the other with the cheese stuffing. Repeat for each serving.
4. Place the 2 rolls in an ovenproof dish and cover with besciamelle sauce. Cook for 10 minutes at 200C. 

Now you have it - the genuine mouth watering recipe for real Bolognese sauce.
This recipe is promoted as part of the 2010 International Day of Italian Cuisines and aims to try ensure that Italian cuisine around the world is cooked according to certain basic principles. I have never added milk to make a Bolognese sauce - but from now on I know this is the way to go. No more spaghetti either - has to be tagliatelle with the bolognese if we are going to do it way it is meant. To learn more and find other great recipes click here.
Hope you have enjoyed the recipe slot this Sunday. Do leave me a comment if you have any suggestions or feedback.
Thanks so much for signing up and following - hope you will share me if you like what you see.

Muffins anyone?

Well I had this great idea to make Friday my food blogging day. However Ian's birthday took over and so though I plenty of eating on Friday, it has taken 2 days to get round to sharing!
Hmmm ... Friday started for me at 4.30am - I had not finished sewing the quilt I was giving to Ian that day, so it started early for me. I had it all done by 6.30am but then had to make some special muffins for breakfast because I had been so busy sewing all day Thursday I had forgotten to buy anything special for his birthday breakfast!! 
Are you like me - loads of muffin recipes but can never remember which is the really good one? I decided to try a new one - partly because I had the ingredients and partly because it gave me an excuse to get out my everso much loved red Kitchenaid mixer.
As you see from the photo - the muffins did good and Ian felt properly celebrated. 
So if you would like to try them here is the recipe:

Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Preheat oven : 375F or 190C

Makes 12 muffins

2 cups (500ml) all purpose flour

1Tbsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup (175ml) sugar

finely grated zest of one lemon

1/2 cup (125ml) butter, softened

2 eggs - at room temp

1/2 cup (125ml) whole milk

1 cup (250ml) fresh or frozen blueberries

1Tbsp flour

Glaze: 

3/4 cup icing sugar- sifted

1.5 Tbsp lemon juice, freshly squeezed

To make:

1. In a medium bowl mix the 2 cups of flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
2. Place sugar, lemon zest and butter in the mixer bowl. Attach the flat beater (if using a Kitchen-aid). Set to speed 4 and beat till light and fluffy (about 2 minutes). Stop the mixer and scrape down every so often. Add the eggs, one at a time and beat well after each addition. Scrape down bowl again. Set to speed 2 and beat in flour mix alternately with milk. Remove the mixer and scrape the bowl.
3. In a small bowl lightly toss the blueberries with 1 Tbsp of flour. Use a large spatula to carefully fold the blueberries into the batter.
4. Divide the batter evenly among the muffin cups. Bake in the lower middle of the oven for 20 -25 minutes - or until golden brown. Leave to cool in the tin for about 5 minutes before removing the muffins to a rack.
5. Meanwhile prepare the glaze by whisking together the sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Brush n the warm muffins.

Recipe from ‘The Mixer Bible’ by Meredith Deeds and Carla Snyder

Oh and in case you wanted to see the quilt - here it is. The reason I was so rushed was because I only started on it 4 days beforehand. From my amassed piles of shirting fabrics I included some squares from his favourite old, red twill, gingham Thomas Pink shirt. In fact it was news to Ian that the red twill shirt was no longer in his wardrobe! But it lives on now - 3 squares down from Rufus's nose ( who is searching for muffin crumbs I think).

Let me know if you try the muffins and how they taste.