Cannelloni.

Here's the recipe for the cannelloni I made last night.  I think both the hubbs and I decided that it turned out great, but it also ended up being very large.  He had two and I could only consume one- should make awesome leftovers though, I know we're both looking forward to that.  Overall, the filling was rich and savory thanks to the wacky and wonderful black garlic.  Along with the added finely chopped tree oyster mushrooms, ricotta and finely shredded italian cheeses, they created the perfect plump little pillows of goodness.  The marinara sauce came out amazing!  San Marzano tomatoes are considered the best tomatoes in the world to make sauces with by chefs near and far. I could almost eat it alone it was so hearty and flavorful.  We ended up with a lot of the marinara leftover, so I'm going to freeze to some to use at a later date, maybe in a stew or a chicken casserole. 

I ended up serving the cannelloni with lightly buttered (Plugra!!) garlic bread and some steamed farmers' market asparagus on the side.  Again, the cannelloni are giant and can probably be served standing alone, but I always like to include some green veggies as well.

*Marinara*
2 28 oz cans of whole, peeled San Marnzano tomatoes crushed well in their own juices
4 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
6 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 white italian onion, diced
1 bunch of fresh basil chopped into ribbons
1 medium carrot, finely shredded

In a medium saucepan pour your olive oil and add your chopped garlic and onions.  Saute on medium until translucent, not browned, about 8 minutes.  Add your carrots, crushed tomatoes and basil ribbons- simmer on medium for about 30 mins.  Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

*Crepe pasta*
3 eggs
1 cup of water
1 1/2 cups unbleached all purpose flour
olive oil

Mix eggs and water in blender.  Add flour and blend batter until smooth.  Let stand for 30 minutes.  Heat crepe pan or small skillet over medium high heat.  Brush pan lightly with olive oil.  Remove pan from heat.  Stir batter and ladle 2 tablespoons in corner of pan, tilting so batter just coats the bottom.  Return excess batter to bowl.  Cook crepe "pasta" until bottom is set (do not brown), about 5 seconds.  Repeat with remaining batter until gone.  Layer crepe "pasta" between sheets of was paper to cool or until you are ready to fill and roll.

*Filling*
15 oz. ricotta cheese
15 oz mozerella cheese, shredded
5 oz. pecorino romana cheese, shredded
5 oz. parmesano reggiano, shredded
1 full bulb of black garlic, peeled and whipped with fork
2 eggs
salt and pepper

This part is easy and fun.  Basically, just pour all of your ingredients into a rather large mixing bowl and whip until creamy and smooth with a large wooden spoon.  Salt and pepper to taste. 

Once you've got your whole kitchen bubbling and smelling wonderful, you will need to grab a large baking dish and grease it with either olive oil or a vegetable non-stick spray and set your oven to 400 degrees.  Next, you will gently lay the crepe "pasta" one by one on a sheet of tin foil and fill it.  By dropping several generous dollops at one end and rolling it over itself, you should be creating perfectly formed tubes that you will now place in the baking dish side by side.  Once your baking dish is full, place in oven for 25 minutes. 

When the cannelloni has finished baking, remove from oven and immedietly serve onto plates, being careful not to tear the tubes.  Now take your prepared sauce and pour just enough to cover it completely.  Add a dash of parmesan on top and voila. 

Molto Bene!
B