ASPARAGUS, HAM AND CHEESE CANNELLONI

Entree - Vegetarian (see notes below)

Dough:
2 1/2 cups 00 Italian flour
3 eggs

Stuffing:
1 bunch asparagus
10 slices ham (or chicken/turkey breast), I found a real low sodium one, cut in half
10 slices Provolone, cut in half

Bechamel:
4 cups milk
4 tbsp 00 Italian flour
nutmeg, salt

Parmigiano, shredded mozzarella, plain (NOT flavored) bread crumbs, salt


Prepare the dough.

Arrange flour in a bowl, create a “well” in the middle and place eggs in it. Working with a fork, mix flour and eggs enough to be able to transfer “crumbles” on a lightly floured, not cold surface. Knead, until you obtain a smooth dough, at least 10 minutes: the time depends also on the quantity of pasta you're preparing.

Wrap it tightly in plastic wrap and let it rest for 30 minutes at room temperature. Flour gets “stressed” when you knead it and if you don't allow it to rest, it will compromise the results.

Cover your table with a clean tablecloth. Cut one slice from the dough and roll it out until you reach the desired thickness (I always make it 1/16" in order to hold the "al dente" better). Transfer to the table, and repeat until you've rolled out all the dough. Cut dough slices in rectangles about 4"x6".


While the dough rests, boil asparagus to desired doneness and prepare bechamel.

In a little saucepan, warm up the milk.

In another saucepan big enough put the flour, a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg, slowly add the warm milk in a hin stream, whisking to prevent lumps.

Put the pot on medium/low heat and, stirring continuously (to prevent sticking on bottom), bring to boil then remove from heat, keep it covered with a lid to prevent film to form on top.

Quickly boil the dough slices in salted, oiled water. Do it 2 rectangles at a time, so they won't stick, boil about 1 minute, remove with a slotted spoon and immerse in cold water for another minute to stop cooking. Line on a tablecloth, without overlapping.

Prepare the cannelloni.

Layer dough, ham, cheese and asparagus and roll. These quantities will give you about 20 cannelloni.

Preheat oven to 375F.

In a baking pan pour 1/3 of bechamel, arrange the cannelloni, cover wtith remaining bechamel, sprinkle with mozzarella, Parmigiano and bread crumbs.

Bake for 30-35 minutes (sauce should be bubbling), then broil for about
5-10 minutes or until a golden crust forms on top.







This recipe makes 20 cannelloni.


- For a vegetarian version, avoid the meat.
- The original recipe of bechamel actually requires the use of butter: I avoid it and use light milk to make it ligher.
- My 9x13 baking pan fit 12 cannelloni, I froze the other ones for future use (not too long in the future ;-) )
- The use of breadcrumbs will make your crust "crustier"!!