José Pizarro’s Chicken Cannelloni
Rolled up pasta sheets are filled with chicken and minced meat before topped with a creamy béchamel sauce and grated cheese. Grill until golden and bubbly, and enjoy in good company.
Introduction
This recipe is from my dear friends Lara and Eduardo. I met them here in London, but they recently moved to Barcelona. They have been a great help in the research for this book. I had never tried this recipe before, but had the chance on the day that we were on our photoshoot in L’Empordà. I couldn’t wait to try it. Normally it is cooked with hen, not chicken. This is a great dish for when your friends come over – it is ready to put in the oven and enjoy. Gracias to Lara and Eduardo!
Ingredients
| olive oil for frying | |
| 200g (7oz) | chicken breast, cut into pieces |
| 150g (5½oz) | minced (ground) beef |
| 150g (5½oz) | smoked lardons |
| 100g (3½oz) | white butifarra sausage, finely chopped |
| 100g (3½oz) | foie gras or chicken livers, cut into cubes |
| 2 small | onions, finely chopped |
| 1 | bay leaf |
| 350ml (12fl oz) | double (heavy) cream |
| 50ml (1¾fl oz) | dry sherry |
| 10-12 | fresh cannelloni or thin lasagne sheets |
| 60g (2 oz) | grated Serrat (a mature cow’s milk cheese from the Catalan Pyrenees) or any mature, hard manchego cheese |
| sea salt and freshly ground black pepper | |
| For the béchamel sauce | |
|---|---|
| 1.7 litres (3 pints) | fresh chicken stock |
| 80g (2¾oz) | unsalted butter |
| 80g (2¾oz/⅔ cup) | plain (all-purpose) flour |
| 250ml (8fl oz) | single (light) cream |
| pinch of | nutmeg |
Method
Heat a layer of oil in a heavy-based pan and brown the meat (except for the foie gras) all over in batches, transferring to a bowl once browned.
Turn down the heat, add the onions to the pan and cook slowly until transparent. Stir in the bay leaf and plenty of seasoning. Cook for 1–2 minutes.
Add the foie gras and return the browned meat to the pan. Pour in the cream and cook to reduce for around 10 minutes. Add the sherry and cook for 2 minutes. Remove from the heat.
Mince everything (except for the cheese) in a food processor until you get a stuffing with a uniform texture. Place in a large piping bag and set aside.
To make the sauce, bring the stock to a simmer and keep it warm. Heat a heavy-based pan and melt the butter. Stir in the flour, mix well and cook for 1–2 minutes. Add the stock, little by little, stirring constantly. When smooth, add the cream, nutmeg and plenty of seasoning and simmer until lovely and thick. Set aside.
Preheat the grill (broiler) to medium high.
Place the pasta sheets on a board, pipe a good line of stuffing down the centre of each, then roll up the pasta to form cannelloni. You want a double layer of pasta, so if the sheets are too large, cut them to the right size with a sharp knife.
Spread a layer of béchamel in the bottom of an ovenproof dish and place the cannelloni on top, next to each other. Cover with the remaining béchamel and scatter with the grated cheese.
Place under the grill for around 10 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Serve immediately.
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