Cannelloni with Cotechino Ragout

Are a rich and enveloping first course, which combines comfort food with refinement. This recipe is an original and creative proposal, perfect for a festive menu: it is fresh pasta cannelloni filled with a full-bodied sauce with a strong taste based on cotechino, wrapped in a velvety béchamel sauce and embellished with Toma Piemontese, a cheese with a sweet and pleasant flavor, with delicate slightly salty and acidulous notes. Finally, everything is au gratin in the oven, obtaining a golden and irresistibly crunchy crust. Stuffed cannelloni are among the symbolic dishes of festive menus: a dish loved all over the world, which each Italian region interprets with different fillings, evoking childhood memories and genuine pleasures. In this version, the filling starts with a classic ragout prepared with a sauté of onion, celery and carrots, to which is added cooked and knife-chopped cotechino. Everything is blended with red wine, enriched with tomato sauce and an inevitable touch of chilli. Like many traditional recipes, it requires slow cooking, but believe me, it's really worth it! This dish is inspired by the classic Bolognese meat cannelloni, a symbol of the Emilian tradition, together with lasagna and tortellini, cornerstones of Emilian cuisine made with fresh egg pasta, minced meat and béchamel sauce. Now let's see what we need to make our Cannelloni with Cotechino Ragout. Ingredients for the puff pastry 400 grams of white flour 4 eggs a pinch of salt Ingredients for the béchamel sauce 1 liter of milk 100 grams of Butter + a tablespoon for browning the cannelloni 120 grams of white flour salt nutmeg Ingredients for the tomato sauce 1 kg of ripe tomatoes an onion 2 carrots a celery stalk basil leaves 1 clove of garlic You will also need 1 precooked cotechino weighing 500 grams Mixed for sautéing: 1 celery stalk, 2 carrots, 1 onion 1 sprig of rosemary salt EVTRA virgin olive oil Toma Piemontese Preparation Let's prepare the tomato sauce: wash the ripe tomatoes well under running water, cut them into cubes and put them in a pot together with the carrots, a large onion (or two small ones) and a celery stalk cut into small pieces. Let's bring everything to the fire. Cook over low heat for about an hour, then, with an immersion blender, reduce the mixture to a puree. Now let's move on to the preparation of the béchamel sauce. In a saucepan, put the butter and bring to the heat to melt. Add the 120 grams of white flour and mix with a whisk, taking care to avoid lumps. When our roux turns golden, add the previously heated milk, pouring it slowly and stirring constantly, until you get a velvety sauce. Now let's move on to the preparation of the pasta. In the planetary mixer, put 400 grams of 00 white flour, 4 eggs and a pinch of salt, then start kneading. Knead the dough until it has a smooth and homogeneous consistency, then transfer it to the work table, cover with an upside-down bowl and let it rest for 30 minutes. After the resting time, roll out the dough into a thin sheet and cut it into rectangles. Blanch them in boiling salted water for a minute, then cool them by spreading them on a cloth. Now let's prepare the meat sauce. Let's start by cooking the precooked cotechino: immerse the vacuum bag in cold water and, from the moment it boils, cook it for the time indicated on the package. When the cotechino is ready, remove it from the package, remove the casing and cut it into thin slices with a knife. Wash and peel the vegetables, then cut them into thin cubes. In a large saucepan, put a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil, add the vegetables and a sprig of rosemary, and let it flavor. Add the cotechino, deglaze with a glass of red wine and, when the wine has evaporated, add the tomato puree. Season with salt and, if you like, black pepper. Cover with a lid and cook over low heat. (As with any ragù, the goodness depends on the cooking time: the longer it is, the tastier the ragù will be; indicatively, an hour of cooking is ideal). Take a rectangle of lasagna dough and stuff it with our meat sauce. Add a few pieces of Toma Piemontese, roll up and arrange the cannelloni in a baking dish. On the base of the baking dish, pour a drizzle of béchamel sauce, add a few more flakes of Toma Piemontese and a little tomato sauce. Proceed like this until you run out of ingredients. Sprinkle the surface with Grana Padano, another Toma Piemontese and a few flakes of butter. Bake at 180°C until golden brown. Our Cannelloni with Cotechino Ragout and Toma Piemontese are ready to be served!