On Tue, 23 Nov 2004 19:58:56 -0500, "Carrie-Lou Salter"
> wrote:

>Hey all,
>
>Was just reading a thread where Dog3 posted about his signature dish,
>lasagna. I would consider my signature dish Chicken Parmesan *recipe
>follows*. I was just wondering what everybody else considers their signature
>dish(s).

This is....

Regards,
Tracy R.

My Favorite Cannelloni

----PASTA----
1 1/2 cups unsifted all-purpose flour
1 large egg
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
few drops of water
----FILLING----
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/4 cup onion; finely chopped
1 teaspoon garlic; finely chopped
1 package (10 oz) frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed; chopped again or
3/4 pound fresh spinach, cooked, drained; squeezed, chopped fine
2 tablespoons butter
1 pound ground round; ground twice if possible
2 each chicken livers
5 tablespoons parmesan cheese; freshly grated
2 tablespoons heavy cream
2 large eggs; lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano; crumbled
salt and pepper, to tastee
----BESCIAMELLA----
4 tablespoons butter
4 tablespoons flour
1 cup milk
1 cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon white pepper
----TOMATO SAUCE----
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup onion; finely chopped
4 cups italian plum or whole pack tomatoes; drained, coarse chopped
6 tablespoons tomato paste
2 tablespoons fresh basil, finely cut or, 2 tsp; dried basil
2 teaspoons sugar
1 teaspoon salt
pepper, to taste
----TOPPING----
4 tablespoons parmesan cheese; freshly grated
2 tablespoons butter; cut in tiny pieces

Pasta: Pour flour into mixing bowl, make a well in the center and in
it put egg, egg white, oil and salt. Mix together until dough can be
gathered into a rough ball. Moisten any remaining dry bits of flour
with drops of water and press them into the ball. Knead on a floured
board, working in extra flour if the dough seems sticky. Wrap dough in
plastic and let it rest for at least 10 minutes before rolling.

Divide dough into 2 balls. Place 1 ball on floured board and flatten
into oblong 1-inch thick. Dust top lightly with flour. Using a heavy
rolling pin, start at one end of the oblong and roll lengthwise away
from yourself to within an inch or so of the farthest edge. Turn the
dough crosswise and roll across its width. Repeat turning and rolling
until dough is paper thin. If it starts to stick, lift carefully and
sprinkle some more flour under it. Cut dough into about thirty-six 2-
x 3-inch rectangles. Bring 6- to 8-quarts of water and 1 tablespoon
salt to a rolling boil over high heat in a large pot. Drop in pasta
one piece at a time, stirring gently with a wooden spoon for a few
minutes to make sure it doesn't stick. Return to a boil and cook over
high heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until pasta is
tender but not soft. Drain, cool slightly, and spread pasta side by
side on paper towels or wax paper to dry.

Filling: Heat olive oil in 8- t0 10-inch skillet. Add onions and
garlic and cook over moderate heat, stirring frequently for 7-8
minutes, until they are soft but not brown. Stir in the spinach and
cook, stirring occasionally, for 3-4 minutes. When all of the moisture
cooks away and the spinach sticks lightly, transfer it to a mixing
bowl. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in the same skillet and lightly brown
the beef, stirring constantly to break up any lumps. Add meat to
spinach. Melt 1 more tablespoon butter in skillet and cook the
livers, turning frequently 3-4 minutes, until somewhat firm, lightly
browned but still pink inside. [Note: I usualy cook them more than
this; maybe it's paranoid, but I don't want to eat any pink chicken.]
Chop coarsely and add to spinach/meat along with cheese, eggs, cream
and oregano. Mix gently but thoroughly. Taste and season with salt and
pepper.

Besciamella: In heavy saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat.
Remove from heat and stir in flour. Pour in milk and cream all at
once, whisking constantly until flour is partially dissolved. Then
return pan to high heat and cook, stirring constantly with whisk. When
sauce comes to a boil and is smooth, reduce heat. Simmer, still
stirring, another 2-3 minutes until sauce coats the whisk heavily.
Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper. Tomato Sauce: Using
big saucepan, heat olive oil until a light haze forms over it. Add
onions and cook over moderate heat for 7-8 minutes, or until soft but
not browned. Add other ingredients. Reduce heat to very low and
simmer, with pan partially covered, for about 40 minutes. Stir
occasionally. Press saucee through sieve or food mill into bowl. Taste
for seasoning.

Assembly: Preheat oven to 375F. Put 1 tablespoon of filling on bottom
thrid of pasta; roll up. Pour a film of tomato sauce into 2 10- x
14-inch baking dishes. Lay pasta rolls side by side in saucee. Pour
Besciamella over; spoon the rest of the Tomato Sauce over the top of
that. Scatter cheese and butter on the top. Bake 20 minutes; then
brown under the broiler for 30 seconds.

Notes: This is a pain in the butt to make but it's soooo good it's
worth it. It can be assembled and frozen with no ill effects, so I
find it's usually worth my while to make a double or even a triple
recipe and fill up a bunch (3-6) 8- x 8- x 2-inch disposable aluminium
pans (wrap tightly in several layers of foil; to reheat, put in 350F
oven for 70 minutes or so) for the freezer to be cooked later.
Store-bought canneloni shells can be subbed for fresh pasta if you're
pushed for time or faint of heart ~ they aren't as good; but this is
so rich you may not notice. Also, I'm thinking of trying this with
crepes a la Marilyn's Manicotti ~ the pasta is really the worst part
of making this. (Made Marilyn's Manicotti the other night and was
rather disappointed with the crepes ~ they were too thick, despite my
adding additional water to the batter. Might need thinner batter yet,
or a cooler skillet, I dunno. Anyhow, I think stick with the original
pasta.)

Yield: 6-8 servings