Truffled cannelloni with meat and mushrooms

Thinking of recipes to celebrate Christmas, I couldn't resist preparing this recipe for truffled meat cannelloni . Normally at home it is a favorite recipe in the form of lasagna, but today I wanted to adapt it so that you can enjoy it prepared in cannelloni style.

I know for a fact that cannelloni are laborious to prepare, but I'm bringing you an easier way to save time . Also, if you want, you can prepare them in advance and finish them in the oven just before you eat them. You'll see that the small effort is worth it.

We take the recipe to another level thanks to the truffle used in the bechamel, and the combination of flavours in the filling - with mushrooms and meat - is wonderful. As for the presentation, I love how they are presented directly in individual little casseroles, everyone likes it and it surprises them, but you can bring it to the table on a central tray.

Shall we get to it? You're going to love them!

Le Creuset Skillet and Revol Porcelain Round Plates

Ingredients for 6 people

• 18-20 pre-formed cannelloni pasta*
• Grated Parmesan cheese for gratin

For the filling:

• 400 gr minced pork and beef
• 200 gr mushrooms
• 300 gr boletus edulis**
• 3 shallots
• ½ green pepper
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 splash of brandy
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 sprig of thyme
• Salt
• Pepper
• Extra virgin olive oil

For the truffled bechamel:

• 1200 gr whole milk
• 60 gr butter
• 60 gr flour
• 40 gr grated truffle
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

Emile Henry ceramic oven tray and Revol porcelain round plates

Preparation

1. Place 3 tablespoons of oil in your Le Creuset skillet , lightly brown the garlic, add the finely chopped shallots, the finely chopped green pepper, the bay leaf and the thyme. Sauté well.
2. Once poached, add the mushrooms, previously chopped into small pieces using the Tefal manual chopper , season with salt and pepper and cook well until they reduce in volume and do not release water. Remove from the skillet and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, add 3 tablespoons of olive oil and add the meat, season with salt and pepper and cook until cooked and lightly browned. Increase the heat, add the brandy and allow it to evaporate. Add the mushrooms again, mix with the meat, adjust the salt and pepper and set aside until the mixture cools.
4. While the mixture is cooling, prepare the truffle bechamel. To do this, melt the butter in a large saucepan , add the flour, and sauté for a couple of minutes so that it doesn't taste like raw flour. Stirring constantly, add the milk and wait for it to thicken (remember that it's important for the milk to be cold to avoid lumps). Adjust the salt and pepper, add the nutmeg and finally add the grated truffle, mix well and set aside.
5. Once the filling has cooled, remove the bay leaves and thyme, add 5 tablespoons of bechamel, and mix well to combine.
6. And now I give you the option of chopping the mixture further or leaving it as is, it is up to each one of you. In my case I gave it a few passes through the manual chopper, although I could have not done so, since the size of the lumps was not excessive and we could perfectly fill the pasta tubes.
7. Once we have the filling ready, with the help of a pastry bag we fill the cannelloni tubes and place them on a layer of bechamel, either individually, 3 at a time, in our individual Revol dishes or on a baking tray such as those from Emile Henry.
8. Cover with bechamel, sprinkle with cheese and cook for 20 minutes in the oven preheated to 200ºC.
9. We serve hot.

Although cannelloni can be a bit of a chore to prepare, as I was saying, they are always a success. Just like lasagna, we can prepare them in advance, cover them with bechamel sauce and finish them in the oven at the last minute. It is a delicious dish to share with the family and enjoy both on holidays and any day you want to make a recipe to surprise others with.

Don't miss them!

*I find pre-formed cannelloni pasta very convenient, but if you want you can make them with individual sheets which you will have to cook, dry once cooked and fill. With this type of pasta you don't need to cook it for 20 minutes in the oven, you could reduce it to 10 minutes and gratinate it.

** If you find it difficult to get fresh boletus edulis, don't hesitate to buy them frozen. For this recipe I chose this option. It is important to defrost them before making the stir-fry.

Emile Henry ceramic oven tray and round Revol porcelain plates