This very popular Cannelloni dish appears all year round in Spain but “Canelones”, as they are called in Castellano Spanish, may well appear as a starter on special occasions, like Christmas Eve, when they may boast a more luxurious filling of prawns or lobster. Not to be confused with the Italian Cannelloni which is made with minced meat, and resembles a bolognese sauce, Spanish Canelones are most frequently enjoyed as the star dish on Boxing Day in Catalonia when they are normally stuffed with the roasted meat leftovers from the previous day.
Here’s a traditional recipe, for an all-round dish, Spanish Canelones:
Ingredients for traditional Spanish Canelones recipe:
- Approx. 20 squares of cannelloni pasta
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- ¼ lb ground veal
- ½ lb ground pork
- 3 oz. Jamon Serrano or prosciutto, finely chopped
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 tablespoon flour
- ½ cup grated parmesan cheese plus ¼ cup for topping
- ½ oz. black truffle, very finely chopped
- Pinch of salt
- Dash of pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 1 egg, beaten
Béchamel sauce ingredients:
- 4 cups of milk
- 5 tablespoons butter
- 4 tablespoons flour
- ½ tsp. nutmeg
- 2 tsp. kosher salt
Method for traditional Spanish Canelones recipe:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Bring a large pot of water to the boil. Add salt , and one by one add the pasta to the water, cooking until al dente, about 12-14 minutes. Drain the water, and move the pasta to a cheese cloth to cool off. Set aside.
In a large pan, heat the butter on a high flame until it melts and becomes foamy. Add the veal and pork and cook on high until it is completely browned. Add the jamon, cooking until it softens. Drain the fat from the pan. Add the milk, flour and parmesan, combine well. Add the truffles, salt, pepper, nutmeg, combine and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10-12 minutes, stirring often. Take the pan off the heat, and let it cool. Stir in the egg.
Once the meat is cool enough to handle, evenly divide the mixture between the pasta. Put the mixture at one end, and roll the pasta up. (If you are using the pasta tubes, simply stuff them with the mixture.) Place the rolls in a 9 inch square baking dish, in a single layer. Cover with the Béchamel sauce (method below), and top with the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake for 25 minutes, until bubbling and the cheese is crispy and golden brown.
Béchamel sauce method for traditional Spanish Canelones recipe:
- Heat the milk in a medium pan until almost boiling, being careful not to scorch the bottom.
- Melt the butter in another medium saucepan.
- Add the flour slowly, stirring out any lumps, until it is smooth.
- Cook until it is a light golden color, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the hot milk to the butter pan, very slowly, rapidly whisking until smooth.
- Add the salt pepper and nutmeg, continuing to whisk until it comes to a boil. Remove from the heat.
Serve with fresh crusty bread. Note that this pasta is also quite versatile with it’s filling, spinach and ricotta cheese being another favourite combination seen worldwide.
If you would like to learn how to cook traditional and authentic Spanish recipes with a professional Spanish chef, our private Cooking Tour in Northern Spain will introduce you to the best of Spanish cuisine as well as a range of culinary delights such as Michelin starred dining, exquisite wine tastings and authentic gourmet tapas tours.
or ride the train meandering alongside the water. Pinhao station is considered one of the most symbolic locations on the Upper Douro wine circuit. The picture postcard train station has 25 blue glazed tile panels covering the main building, representing the local landscapes and habits, predominantly of wine making. The Pinhao to Pocinho route is considered one of the world’s most scenic journeys; the rail line runs just along the river with of course the resultant breathtaking views of the terraced vineyards on the other side.
With a luxury rental car provided on your Gourmand Breaks self drive tour travel to Vila Nova de Foz Coa with some spectacular views as the roads wind erratically up and down the mountainside between the different valleys. The town is beautifully situated high above the River Coa, one of the tributaries of the Douro. This is very much an area of olives and almonds as opposed to grapes and the almonds, in particular, make a beautiful sight in early spring. Vila Nova is also the closest town to the 22,000-year-old rock paintings, which were discovered during the construction of a new dam.
added, and then is aged in wooden barrels. How long it ages determines the taste and how sweet the wine is. There are generally five different types of port wine – white, ruby, tawny, late bottle vintage (LBV), and vintage. White is aged early and is young and robust. Ruby is aged for 3 years with a strong grape and pepper taste. Tawny is aged in smaller wooden barrels and varies from 10 to 40 years with a light, mellow taste. Late Bottle Vintage is aged 4 to 6 years while vintage is from a single harvest and is aged for 2 years in wood and then 10 to 30 years in the bottle. All port wines are medium sweet but they do range from a drier, less sweet to very sweet. Enjoy trying to distinguish between the 5 different types of port wine!
A privately skippered Rabelo cruise on the DouroRiver offers a great chance to see the beauty of the area and the many wineries running down towards the river. These cruises are on replica Vintage boats traditionally used to carry the wine down the river from Douro to the lodges in Oporto. A less luxurious option but still a chance to cruise the river would be to join one of the small group excursions on regular boats, which we can also arrange. Whichever way, they are both a great opportunity for you to see the beauty of the area and the many wineries running down towards the river.
Equally important, if not more so, are the leisure or sporting aspects which means that, when the autumn rains come, large numbers of people, families and friends, go into the forests to enjoy a pleasant walk while filling their baskets with mushrooms. Cars seem to be abandoned in unusual spots along the country roads but their owners will be foraging in the forest nearby.
