You usually have them for Sunday lunch, but cannelloni can be prepared any time for a perfect dinner. They’re a traditional Italian dish, and can be filled in an infinite number of ways, meeting everyone’s needs and desires. There are vegetable fillings for vegetarians; meat or fish for those who love animal proteins; or you can fill them with cheese and vegetables for those who have no problems with lactose intolerance.
Fresh pasta
Even though they seem complicated to prepare, cannelloni only take time to fill, because you can use the same sheets of fresh egg pasta that you would for lasagna. If you want a challenge, remember that the cannelloni base is a sheet of fresh pasta made the traditional way, with flour and eggs, kneaded for a long time and left to rest for an hour before being stretched with the pasta roller. The doses should be one egg for every 2/3 cup of flour. Once you start mixing the eggs and flour, make sure that the dough is the right consistency. If it’s too soft and “wet,” add a little more flour, but if it’s too dry and difficult to work, add a little water at room temperature. The mixture should be worked vigorously for at least 10 minutes, so that the gluten mesh is formed.
The fillings, for all tastes!
Whether it’s a meat sauce, a mixture of herbs and ricotta cheese, or fish accompanied by a tomato sauce, you can start making the filling the day before, so it will be more homogeneous and amalgamated. Be daring when combining ingredients, any combination will be pleasant! And don’t forget, before baking, give a sprinkling of Parmigiano Reggiano (with the exception of cannelloni with fish), which will create a golden, deliciously crunchy crust.