Cannelloni
Large tubes formed by rolling sheets of fresh egg pasta around a savory filling, then baking with sauce. From the word 'canna' (cane or tube) plus the suffix '-oni' (signifying largeness), cannelloni are big tubes of pasta meant to be stuffed and baked.
History & Tradition
While its ancestor is clearly the first sheets of lagane and lasagne, cannelloni is a relatively recent shape. There are rare mentions in eighteenth-century cookbooks, but even then it is not entirely clear if the cannelloni described would be recognizable today. Twentieth-century post-war cookbooks, such as Ada Boni's 1929 'Il talismano della felicita,' are full of tube recipes, with almost every region having a version, often as a feast-day recipe. The three most common regional styles come from Piemonte (stuffed with spinach and pork), Campania's Sorrento coast (filled with mozzarella and ricotta), and Lazio (with a meat stuffing).
Dough
How to Make
- Make an egg pasta dough, knead until smooth, and let rest.
- Roll the dough into thin sheets and cut into rectangles about 8 by 4 inches.
- Parboil the pasta sheets a few at a time in boiling salted water for 1 minute.
- Transfer to cold water for 20 seconds, then lay on clean tea towels.
- Place a heaped spoonful of filling along one long side of each sheet and roll closed.
- Arrange the cannelloni in a single layer in a buttered baking dish.
- Cover with sauce (béchamel, tomato, or both), sprinkle with grated Parmesan.
- Bake at 400 degrees F for 30 minutes, then let rest for at least 30 minutes before serving.