Sunday, February 13, 2005
Three Meat Cannelloni Baked in Pink Sauce
The meal:
I had been in the mood for cannelloni, and I've never been able to find a resteraunt in the Twin Cities that does it like I like. Baked pasta dishes also feed a goodly number of people. So I hit the Internet and found a recipe that looked like a good place to start (we rarely stick religiously to any recipe). Next was shopping.
Any meal that starts with a trip to Buon Giorno is a step ahead to start with. On this trip, we even had to stop at Cassetta's to grab a slice of pizza on the way home just to stave off our hunger. (Note: Of the two, I definitely prefer the market at Buon Giorno. It's a lot less cartoonishly goombah than Cassetta's, and it has a lot more space. Other than that, the selection and quality is so similar that either will do in a pinch.)
The star of this meal was absolutely the three meat filling. I'm somewhat surprised that not only did it get into the pasta rolls, but it made it to the table without being eaten in the kitchen. Every time I went to the kitchen, I caught someone sneaking a bite. The combination of Buon Giorno's meatball mix, pork sausage, and home-ground chicken breast, along with the spices, cream, garlic, and onion was perfection. I spent the next several days trying to think of what else I could use it for (and is honestly why I bought the home-made ravioli maker the following week). (It was the first time that I had used the meat grinder attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer, and it was like buttah!)
BY and RS1 did a fine job making the pasta sheets from scratch, as always. The first few attempts at boiling were disappointing, until we figured out that the trick was to boil them a little longer, not for less time. Once that was discovered, our assembly line of boil-shock-fill-and-roll went pretty smoothly. Robin added a few spices to the sauce so that it wasn't plain tomato/cream sauce, but nothing could outshine the meat.
The Berries and whipped cream were the best snackin' dessert for a big heavy meal. The clean-up went exceptionally well, leaving I think only the bowl the berries were in unwashed. We had so much freakin' food left over that RS1 took an entire casserole to "The Boys", and BY had to have eaten for the rest of the week with the half casserole she took home. That's what happens with SC and MS don't show up.
- Buffalo mozzarella, pepperoni, basil, and tomato platter, drizzled in olive oil
- Caesar Salad
- Three meat cannelloni baked in pink sauce
- Rosemary and Olive Oil Bread
- Berries and whipped cream
I had been in the mood for cannelloni, and I've never been able to find a resteraunt in the Twin Cities that does it like I like. Baked pasta dishes also feed a goodly number of people. So I hit the Internet and found a recipe that looked like a good place to start (we rarely stick religiously to any recipe). Next was shopping.
Any meal that starts with a trip to Buon Giorno is a step ahead to start with. On this trip, we even had to stop at Cassetta's to grab a slice of pizza on the way home just to stave off our hunger. (Note: Of the two, I definitely prefer the market at Buon Giorno. It's a lot less cartoonishly goombah than Cassetta's, and it has a lot more space. Other than that, the selection and quality is so similar that either will do in a pinch.)
The star of this meal was absolutely the three meat filling. I'm somewhat surprised that not only did it get into the pasta rolls, but it made it to the table without being eaten in the kitchen. Every time I went to the kitchen, I caught someone sneaking a bite. The combination of Buon Giorno's meatball mix, pork sausage, and home-ground chicken breast, along with the spices, cream, garlic, and onion was perfection. I spent the next several days trying to think of what else I could use it for (and is honestly why I bought the home-made ravioli maker the following week). (It was the first time that I had used the meat grinder attachment for the Kitchenaid mixer, and it was like buttah!)
BY and RS1 did a fine job making the pasta sheets from scratch, as always. The first few attempts at boiling were disappointing, until we figured out that the trick was to boil them a little longer, not for less time. Once that was discovered, our assembly line of boil-shock-fill-and-roll went pretty smoothly. Robin added a few spices to the sauce so that it wasn't plain tomato/cream sauce, but nothing could outshine the meat.
The Berries and whipped cream were the best snackin' dessert for a big heavy meal. The clean-up went exceptionally well, leaving I think only the bowl the berries were in unwashed. We had so much freakin' food left over that RS1 took an entire casserole to "The Boys", and BY had to have eaten for the rest of the week with the half casserole she took home. That's what happens with SC and MS don't show up.
