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Manicotti is a long hollow shell stuffed with Cheese.
Cannelloni is usually stuffed with a Beef mixture,
sometimes also stuffed with a Cheese and Vegetable
mixture.
Cannoli (notice the difference in spelling) is a fried or
baked pastry hollow shell stuffed usually with a
Ricotta, Honey, Sugar, maybe some Vanilla Extract
and Chocolate bits mixture dipped in some kind of
nuts.
Here I am making Cannelloni stuffed with Veal.
If you cannot find Ground Veal, you can use Ground
Beef or Ground Sirloin instead, at least 90% fat free.
If your butcher will further grind it, like 2 more times,
that would be good, if not, then you'll have to mash it.
INGREDIENTS:
1 box of Manicotti Shells (see NOTE below)
1 lb Ground Veal or Beef
about 1/2 Cup or more of shredded Mozzarella Cheese
about 1 Cup of HEAVY Whipping Cream
Salt and Pepper
couple notches of Butter (about 3 Tablespoons)
small handfull of Parmesan
at LEAST 2-3 Cups of Spaghetti sauce
NOTE ON SHELLS:
This recipe is for about 2 people. Most boxed shells
come 12 to a box. Believe me, when you get home,
some of the shells are cracked and no good, and
some when you boil them will just split in half and
again be no good. So keep this in mind when you are
cooking for more than two people.
If you have a pasta maker, you can make your own
sheets.
I have also purchased whole wheat lasagna sheets
(non ruffled on the edges). They were about the size
of a paper back novel. I only boiled a few at a time,
constantly stirring so they didn't stick. They worked
out great. The instructions were all in Italian, so I just
guestimated on boiling, about 5 minutes.
I also experimented with those lasagna sheets that say
"no bake" on the label, and tried boiling them for
about the same time. Those didn't really work out.
You'll also need an ice bath to stop the cooking
process. By the time you're done boiling the noodles,
drain, and plop onto the ice cubes. Add a bit of cold
water. They will be easier to handle as they won't be
as hot either.
Now you will be making a simple Alfredo Sauce. Put a
notch of Butter with Salt and Pepper in saute pan.
Add the HEAVY Whipping Cream, and bring to boil on
high flame. (Heavy Whipping Cream has more
butterfat in it than anything else. It is the best
ingredient to use for Alfredo.)
The Cream will begin to "rise." Lower flame to low and
simmer. It'll be nice and thick in a few minutes, stir
occassinally.
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