The history of stuffed pasta began a long time ago. For example, the famous Italian poet and writer, Giovanni Boccaccio, already in the XIII century mentioned in his immortal work “Decameron” one of the types of stuffed pasta - ravioli. And since Italy is always considered the birthplace of pasta, almost every region of this country has its own exclusive and unique recipe for stuffed pasta. For example, the region of Liguria has the characters of ravioli and panzotti, the region of Emilia-Romagna - tortelloni and capeletti, while the region of Piedmont - agneolotti.
Minced meat for pasta can serve as fillings from meat, fish or vegetables, as well as sweet fillings made from cottage cheese or fruits. In a word, how to stuff pasta is a matter of taste and preference of each gourmet individually. Depending on what the pasta filling consists of, their name differs. Thus, the following pasta differ in their appearance and filling:
- Ravioli. They are reminiscent of dumplings to taste, although they are square in shape. Initially, this dish was exclusively vegetarian, and only later began to fill these pasta with meat. More often ravioli stuffed with meat, cheese or spinach.
- Tortellini is a pasta stuffed with meat or cheese, resembling small dumplings.
- Tortelloni - the same tortellini pasta, only which are larger in order.
- Cannelloni is a large cylinder-shaped pasta. These pasta can be stuffed with a variety of fillings and baked in the oven.
- Agneolotti is a pasta stuffed with ground beef, vegetables and fish. Usually agneoletti square in shape with grooved edges. Cooked these pasta in beef broth with melted butter.
- Panzoti is a type of stuffed pasta of a triangular shape.
- Anolini (totelli) - pasta in the form of a semicircle with smooth edges that are stuffed with cheese or meat.
Stuffed Pasta - Cannelloni
Cannelloni is a large cylindrical pasta that can be stuffed with a wide variety of fillings. Cannelloni in the oven baked with bechamel sauce or bolognese. You can buy these pastas in almost any supermarket, but if you could not find them in the store, you can make them from the layers for lasagna, first boiling lasagna in a large amount of water until fully cooked.
A simple recipe stuffed with pasta minced meat - cannelloni
Ingredients required for the preparation of the filling:
- cannelloni pasta;
- olive oil;
- 1 kg lean beef or pork minced meat;
- shredded onions;
- chopped garlic;
- carrot;
- fresh or pickled tomatoes ;
- a pinch of dried sage;
- a pinch of rosemary;
- salt pepper;
- ½ glasses of dry white wine;
- cheese;
- fresh greens.
To make bechamel sauce:
- 100 g butter;
- 1 liter of milk;
- 4-6 tablespoons of flour.
Fry the garlic with onions and carrots, previously sliced thinly in a pan. Add minced meat to vegetables. After 2-3 minutes, pour a little white wine and stew the meat until the wine evaporates. Add seasoning and salt to taste. Prepare cannelloni pasta in accordance with the instructions on their packaging. Start pasta with minced meat with a tablespoon. Then put the stuffed pasta on a baking sheet and pour plenty of bechamel sauce. Put tomato slices on pasta and sprinkle with grated cheese. Oven pasta stuffed with meat and vegetables in a preheated oven for about 10-20 minutes.
How to Make Bechamel Sauce
Melt the butter in a saucepan and pour in the milk. Stirring add flour. Bring the sauce to a boil. Bechamel sauce in its consistency should be similar to sour cream. Add seasoning with salt to taste.