Carme Ruscalleda is an inspired intellectual. Her capacity is such that she was able to literally turn this traditional pasta dish, Catalan but of Italian inspiration, inside out – producing this reverse cannelloni. Her applied intelligence alters the leading roles of the dish, converting the meat, a combination of beef, pork and chicken, into the main ingredient, taking on the form of a roll, internalizing the pasta and béchamel which are transformed here into garnish and sauce for the meat. Consequently, the substantial change in construction allows for greater appreciation of the product without losing the essence of the dish. It is just as flavorful as ever, but now the dish is eaten in a more defined way, and with greater distinction. The only doubt in our minds was whether or not the kids would like this cannelloni as much as the traditional ones.
La Receta
Ingredients
THREE MEAT ROAST
The meats:
- 1 chicken weighing
- 3 kilos
- 1 beef knuckle
- hindquarter
- 1 pork loin
The vegetables:
- 5 onions
- 3 carrots
- 3 leeks
- 1 small celery branch
- 1 head of garlic
- 8 ripe tomatoes
GELATIN
FRESH PASTA
- 150 g bread flour
- 80 g pasteurized egg yolks
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
- 1 1/2 l. milk
- 1 1/2 l. cream
- 105 g flour
- 150 g butter
- 30 g salt
- white pepper
- A dash of nutmeg
- 60 g dry Sherry
CRISPY CHEESE
CHIVES
TOMATO SAUCE
ROAST SAUCE FOR PAINTING THE CANNELLONI
- 70 g roasting juices
- 50 g beef stock
- Salt and freshly ground pepper
Method
THREE MEAT ROAST
The meats: Clean the meats of their fats and nerves and cut into even, manageable pieces. Clean the chicken and cut into eighths.
The vegetables: Clean and cut the vegetables into medium sized pieces.
Distribute the vegetables onto oven trays with a bit of oil. Place the meat and chicken pieces on top. Salt and pepper well. Add some bay leaves, thyme, nutmeg and cinnamon, a dash more oil and a few cubes of pork lard.
Put the trays in an oven preheated to 190º C for approximately 30 minutes. At the end of the 30 minutes add a splash of brandy and sweet Sherry to the meats, turn the meats and vegetables and return to the oven, now at 160º C. For the duration of the roasting the meat needs to be turned every 20 minutes until tender and juicy (1 1/2 – 2 hours).
Remove the chicken bones and chop the meats together with 300 g. dried bread (soaked in 500 ml milk) and the vegetables (after removing the more burnt pieces and the garlic and tomato skins).
Mix well and add the cooking juices. Adjust the seasoning if necessary. Add 20% of the gelatin to the mixture and stir well until completely incorporated. Spread out 100 g of the mixture between two sulfurized sheets to obtain sheets of roast meat that measure 12 x 18 cm each. (Cut with a serrated knife to give it the traditional aesthetic of cannelloni).
GELATIN
Pass over a flame to remove the hairs. Leave to marinate in the walk-in with a little vinegar and a tablespoon of salt. The following day scrape the skins and place in a pot to boil. When the water comes to a boil, change it and repeat. Leave to cook for 2 hours. Drain and blend finely (do not salt). It will have become a fine paste – a gelatin – used to thicken the sheets of roasted meat for the reverse cannelloni.
FRESH PASTA
For the pasta: Combine the flour and egg yolks. Leave to sit in the refrigerator for 12 hours. Afterwards, cut a piece of the dough, smoothen it a little with a rolling pin and pass it through the pasta press, reducing its thickness to nº 6.
Cut the pasta sheets using a pasta cutter. Set aside.
BÉCHAMEL SAUCE
Make a golden roux with the flour and butter. Warm the 500 ml of milk and the 1.5 l cream. When the roux is golden brown add the liter of cold milk and stir to avoid lumping. Add the rest of the boiling milk and cream. Stir vigorously and add the salt and pepper. Remove from heat and add the dry Sherry and nutmeg.
Pour the béchamel sauce onto a tray. Freeze in order to later cut portions 9 x 2.3 cm in size.
CRISPY CHEESE
Finely grate equal parts of Parmesan and Emmental cheese. Spread the Parmesan out over silicon sheets first then add the Emmental on top. Bake in the oven at 160_ C for 10 minutes until dry and crispy. Store in a sealed container.
CHIVES
Poach in an abundant amount of salted water, cool. Set aside.
TOMATO SAUCE
Chop 100 g shallots and brown in 100 g olive oil. When well browned, add 1 kilo sliced ripe tomatoes (previously remove the skins and seeds). Leave to reduce until well confit. While cooking, add salt, pepper and 30 g sugar. Once reduced and the seasoning adjusted add 50 ml sweet Sherry. When the alcohol has evaporated add 100 g tomato confit and 100 g water. Blend this mixture and adjust the salt and pepper. Reheat the mixture to recuperate the red color of the tomatoes. Set aside.
ROAST SAUCE FOR PAINTING THE CANNELLONI
Reduce to the desired consistency – a thick but light sauce. Adjust the salt and pepper.
ASSEMBLY AND SERVICE
Place a portion of frozen béchamel on the inside of a sheet of fresh pasta. Close and seal with egg yolk. Boil this filled pasta in an abundant amount of salted water (1 liter water = 20 g salt) for 10 minutes.
It will be like a liquid ravioli of béchamel when done. Wrap in a sheet of roast meats, placing a few pieces of crispy cheese on the inside. Close and tie with the chives. Bake at 190ºC for 3 minutes to heat completely.
In the middle of the dish paint an oval with the tomato sauce and another two with the beef stock sauce. Brush the cannelloni with the roasting juices sauce and place on the dish.
