Cannelloni - first course or main dish?
Since there was a discussion about mac and cheese (which I do not make or eat) being a side dish or main course, I thought I would start one about cannelloni, which I do make and eat and is somewhat similar to mac and cheese - or about as close to it as anything I do make.
One Italian cookbook that I have says that it is a first course in Italy, confirmed by this website. I instead served it as a main course, but I do also have salad with it (not shown in photo).
I was inspired to make this because I watched Mary Ann Esposito make it on Ciao Italia and got some good tips from her. I make my own variation, however, and I used a marinara sauce instead of besciamella, although I understand that both are used in Italy.
One important tip I learned from Mary Ann was to cut a 4" x 5" rectangle out of paper to use as a guide for cutting the pasta, and this worked very well for me. The cannelloni fit perfectly in my rectangular Pyrex pan.
For the filling, I sautéed some onion and a bit of red bell pepper (just because I have it) with some minced chile de arbol (for heat), and then I added a sausage that I had removed from its wrapper. The sausage was from Bristol Farms, where they make their own, and it was fairly large - about 5.5 ounces. Then I added a full bunch of spinach and cooked that just enough to wilt the spinach.
I think I like this better than lasagna, and I also think it is actually easier to make. It also cooks faster, but I had to put it into two pans, as I wanted to have it in a single layer, and my pasta recipe made 15 sheets of pasta that were 4x5".
If you have this as a first course, what would the next course be? I found it to be a bit filling, and I only ate two, as shown, but Kevin wanted three.
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Comments (30)gina_w, I made your poached salmon with chimichurri for supper tonight -- right down to the garnish. My husband and I both LOVED it! It is a definite contender for the party. Do you think that it would be good at room temperature? I don't want to be cooking during the appetizers or the soup course, but I am afraid if I keep it warm in the oven it will dry out, and even a reheat in the microwave might overcook it. Here is how I did the chimichurri and poached the fish (I'm sure you know how to do both, but just in case some other reader wants to know): I took a big handful of flat leaf parsley, 4 cloves garlic, and a bit of onion and minced them in the food processor. Then I added about 1/3 c of arbequetta olive oil, a little red wine vinegar, a little lemon juice, about 1/2 t of dried oregano, and S&P. That's it -- and it was really terrific. I poached the salmon by putting it in a deepish pan with water to cover, added some mirin, some peppercorns, and a bay leaf, as you suggested. I brought it to a boil, and then immediately took it off the heat, covered the pan, and let it sit about 10 minutes. eandhl, here is my recipe for stir-fried tofu. It was my first stir-fry. Many years ago, when I was about 22, my aunt gave me a wok. It just sat there until one day in the newspaper's food section, in the "kids in the kitchen" column, I found this recipe for stir-fried tofu and vegetables (I've rewritten it to leave out all the super-basic instructions like "peel the onion and put it on a plate"). I figured if kids could do it, I could, too! Now I love to cook all kinds of Chinese dishes, but this is the one that got me started. My kids always loved it. I make all kinds of modifications now, depending on what vegetables I have on hand, and I use sherry, dark soy, hot oil, etc. This is the basic; you modify it the way you want (use more or different vegetables; include water chestnuts and bamboo shoots; add or substitute chicken or beef for the tofu; etc.). Enjoy! Stir-fried Tofu and vegetables ¼ pound mushrooms 1 large carrot 1 small onion 1 small green pepper 1 - 2 pkg tofu (firm works best) 1 clove garlic 2 T water (I like sherry or mirin instead) 1 t cornstarch 2 T oil (I like to use peanut) 3 T soy sauce 2 t honey Prepare vegetables. Mix water and cornstarch in one bowl, soy and honey in the other. Stir fry vegetables 1 minute, add soy/honey mixture, cover and cook one minute. Stir in water and cornstarch and tofu, stir gently until heated, about 1 minute....See MoreMain course for a progressive dinner
Comments (20)Is the dinner more a casual dinner or is it suppose to be more "gourmet"? This recipe can be prepared a head and takes about 30 to 40 minutes to bake. Depending on how long you are going to be away from your home, you could either put it in the oven just before you leave the house OR, and this would be my personal preference, taken out of the oven just before you go out and then put back in just long enough to reheat when you return. Home Cookin Chapter: Recipes From Thibeault's Table Chicken Breasts With Mushroon Duxelles ====================================== Source: Lucy Waverman This flavorful and elegant chicken is stuffed with a combination of fresh and dried mushrooms. Because the breasts are stuffed under the skin, the stuffing moistens the chicken meat and keeps it juicy. use either dried porcini or dried Chinese mushrooms; they have the most flavor. The sauce can be made ahead of time and the breasts stuffed a few hours before baking. 6 Dried mushrooms 1/2 cup boiling chicken broth 2 tablespoons butter 4 shallots 8 ounce fresh mushrooms finely chopped 1 teaspoon dried tarragon or basil 3 tablespoons fresh bread crumbs 1/3 cup whipping cream 3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 6 single boned chicken breasts, with skin on. Sauce 1/2 cup chopped onions 1/4 cup dry red wine 1/2 cup mushroom-soaking liquid 3 cups chicken stock 2 tablespoons port or Madeira 1 tablespoon cornstarch 1 tablespoon cold water salt and fresh ground pepper to taste. . 1. Soak the mushrooms in boiling chicken broth for 20 minutes. Drain the mushrooms, reserving the soaking liquid and the mushrooms separately.Chop the mushrooms. 2. Preheat the oven to 375°F 3. Heat the butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the shallots and dried and fresh mushrooms. Saute until all the liquid has evaporated, stirring occasionally, about 4 minutes. Stir in the basil or tarragon, bread crumbs, cream and parsley. cook until the cream has reduced and the filling is thick. Season with salt and pepper. 4. Divide the filling in six portions. with your fingertips, make a pocket between the skin and the flesh of each chicken breast. Stuff the filling under the skin of the chicken breasts. Season the breasts with salt and pepper and place in a buttered baking dish large enough to hold the breasts in one layer. 5. Bake for 30 or 40 minutes, basting occasionally, until the juices run clear. 6. To make the sauce, in a frying pan, combine the onions and wine. On high heat, bring to a boil and reduce until you have 1 tablespoon of liquid. 7. Pour in the mushroom liquid, reduce to 2 tablespoons and then add the chicken stock and continue to boil until the stock is reduced by half. Add the port and simmer for another 2 minutes, or until the sauce is smooth and strongly flavored. 8. Combine the cornstarch and cold water and stir into the sauce, simmering until the sauce thickens slightly, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and add any juices from the chicken. To serve, pour the sauce over the chicken breasts....See MoreNeed 1st Course for Wine Dinner
Comments (15)Sounds like it will be a great evening. I'm sure the chef will be thrilled! This is very nice and can be made ahead of time as well. The Tannery’s Crab Crème Brûlée with Pickled Cucumber and Melba Toast adapted from Paul Flynn via The Afternoon Show and Paul Flynn: Irish Food Serves 4 as a starter “Any time you have something creamy, you need something sharp to offset it. This is why we serve pickled cucumber with this dish. You need something to cut through the cream, and the pickled ginger is the starting point of that,” says Paul Flynn. One of the keys to this dish is its lovely creamy consistency, so keep an eye on your oven temperature: “You put it into a low oven because you don’t want the eggs to soufflé, you want them to gently set, like a custard.” 400 ml (1 3/4 cups) cream 1 egg 2 egg yolks 1 garlic clove, peeled and finely chopped (or grate it directly into the custard mixture with a Microplane grater) 2 tablespoons pickled ginger, drained and finely chopped salt and freshly ground black pepper 150 g (1 cup) picked white crab meat, finely chopped 50 g (1/2 cup) freshly grated Parmesan pickled cucumber, to serve (see recipe below) Melba toast, to serve (see recipe below) lemon wedges, to serve Place the cream in a bowl with the eggs, garlic, pickled ginger and some salt and pepper and mix well. Add in the crab meat, ensuring there is no shell, and mix well again. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge to allow the flavours to infuse for at least 30 minutes, but ideally up to overnight. Preheat the oven to 150°C (300°F). Ladle or pour the mixture into the ramekins, making sure you get an even amount of crab in every ramekin, as the crab tends to fall to the bottom. Place the ramekins in a roasting tray. Fill the tray with warm water until the water comes halfway up the sides of the ramekins. Place this bain marie in the oven and cook for 45 to 60 minutes (check after 40 minutes). When cooked through, the mixture should be set but still have a slightly wobbly consistency. Remove the ramekins from the bain marie and allow to cool ��" the crab crème brûlée should be served at room temperature. When ready to serve, sprinkle a very thin layer of Parmesan on top of each ramekin and brown under the grill. Serve with pickled cucumber, really thin Melba toast (“sort of a retro addition that you don’t see very often”) and a lemon wedge. “So there you have it,” says Paul. “The Tannery crab crème brûlée ��" my classic.” Pickled Cucumber 1 cucumber pinch of salt 50 g (1/4 cup) caster sugar 50 ml (1/4 cup) white wine vinegar 1 teaspoon sweet chilli sauce Slice the cucumber as thinly as you can (a mandolin or food processor’s slicing attachment is perfect for this job). Place the sliced cucumber in a bowl and sprinkle with a little salt. Set aside. Bring the sugar, vinegar and chilli sauce to the boil and reduce for 30 seconds. Take off the heat and allow to cool completely. Once it’s cool, pour the liquid over the cucumbers and stir gently to coat them all. This will keep in the fridge for 2 or 3 days ��" any more and the cucumber loses its colour. Melba Toast Toast slices of white bread and remove the crusts. Slice the bread laterally to make two slices that are half the original thickness of the bread. Rub off excess bread from the untoasted side, then cut diagonally into triangles. Place the untoasted side under the grill until the edges curl. The Tannery Restaurant...See MoreFirst dish you prepared for your DH/DW/SO?
Comments (29)lbpod, That is funny!! Italian Roasted Lemon Rosemary Chicken w/Potatoes. But at the time I didn't know that I could cook Italian. My mom didn't share our heritage with us so I thought it was Southern food until we went to Italy. We walked in to a family style restaurant in Rome; the food was laid out on the buffet and the first thing Raymond saw was the Roasted Lemon Chicken. He said that's the first meal you made for me! When we got back to the US I told my mom and grandmother about the different things on the menu that were pretty much familiar to me. They verified, yes those are Italian dishes....See More
5 years ago- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
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5 years ago- 5 years ago
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5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
5 years agoI also enjoy multi course meals. But never expect it. I have friends that like to entertain that do not cook. So they compensate by getting a half dozen Costco appetizers. One close friend will set up an oyster bar or a lobster or shrimp boil as long as some of us agree to shuck and help plan. (I have my grandmother large crab pot she borrows). Just inherrited another.
Similarly, i'll do multi course platings for 4-6, but adjust if the guest list increases. I'm never a slave to the kitchen. I enjoy it and like to spoil my friends and family. Something new i've tried, a new ingredient....not ever chips and dips. Though that is fine if i'm a guest. Most have that at home often like humus, salsa, guacamole ....
Pasta, grains, beans, dumplings....starches/carbs, are most always a small second course or a side with the 'main' after small plates and salads. Obviously some exceptions.
Back to the question in Lars original post...in my home it would be a small portion second course of three. Never a main plated meal. I've never make manicotti/cannelloni/quesadilla type dishes because we would pig out the whole pan and feel gross. Because it is so good.
Even ravioli, homemade and thin with better ingredients like lobster, not thick and full of fillers, is a second of three courses. Three small ones.
Our meals with guests are 3-4 hours and casual. The food is background to the most important social engagement friendship and now a missed connection due to covid.
Salads/greens after pasta?, no way in my crowd. Multiple salads are first and fresh. I'm planning a menu right now for 6. I plan for local and seasonal. With 4 distiinct seasons in the NorthEast, the menu changes due to fresh availability. If it moves to 8+ guests, i will serve prepped ahead salads/apps pre-dinner out on the kitchen deck. A help yourself dealio.
I have so many photo files to look back on. This is a bit funny and precious. (i look back For ideas)....July 19th 2018, etc....i must have had a VIP chef friend guest, lol. A watermelon ring, lol. I was teased for days about the preciousness of this one like the edible flowers in ice cubes years ago....
I did serve this early but what's so wrong as a post meal dessert? Fresh and fruity....times are changing as fresh fruits are more common as an ending to a meal.Lars thanked sleevendog (5a NY 6aNYC NL CA)
Annie Deighnaugh