THE CANNELLONI ALL'AMALFITANA, A SPECIAL ITALIAN BAKED PASTA RECIPE OF AMALFI COAST

The Cannelloni all'amalfitana is a traditional dish of Campania cuisine, prepared with a delicious tomato sauce used both for the topping and to make the ragù, necessary for the filling. The latter is made with a mix of hard-boiled eggs, mozzarella, salt, ricotta, ragù, basil, grated cheese, and pepper: a mix of goodness that makes your mouth water at the thought!
Nowadays, in addition to the classic recipe, many variations of this unmissable dish have been created. One of the most popular is the so-called "white" version, with the cannelloni stuffed with meat, ricotta, and spinach and covered with a delicious béchamel sauce. There are also vegetarian or even "light" reinterpretations, so do not compromise on taste, even when you are on a diet. However, below we see the preparation of the classic Amalfi recipe.

There are two options for cooking cannelloni at home: you can start with the preparation of the egg pastry, or you can buy the ready-made pasta and go ahead with the filling and cooking, reducing significantly the time of preparation.

• To prepare the pasta, use 1 egg for every 100 gr of flour. Make a well in the flour and put in the middle the eggs and the salt, then beat the eggs with a fork, gradually incorporating the flour, until it is completely absorbed. At that point, continue with your hands, pulling and spreading, until you get a soft and smooth dough. Leave the dough to rest for 30-40 ', then roll out the dough and make rectangles of about 10-12 cm, not too thick. At this point proceed with the filling, taking care to fill the center, leaving both ends free, and rolling the dough in the longest direction, making only one turn and not overlapping the pasta. If, on the other hand, you have chosen to buy ready-made cannelloni, boil them in salted water, and then proceed with the filling. 

• To make the filling, it is better to prepare the ragù the night before, with careful and long cooking, so that it thickens and rests well. At the time of preparation add diced mozzarella, grated cheese, hard-boiled eggs, minced meat, ricotta, salt, and pepper.

• Then sprinkle the bottom of a pan with the sauce and arrange the cannelloni, taking care to put the side with the closure facing down, leaving a little space between one and the other.

• Finally, cover with the meat sauce, sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese, and bake at 180 degrees for 30 minutes. 

When you start looking for the origins of traditional dishes, it often happens that some legend came up saying that the recipe is born by the hand of this or that other chef. 

Even for cannelloni, there are several theories: it is said that the first version of this dish dates back to the nineteenth century when chef Vincenzo Corrado presented for the first time the "maccherone" (a type of pasta) stuffed with minced meat and tomato sauce. Other sources, however, state that it was chef Salvatore Coletta, head of the Cappuccini hotel, (now NH Grand Hotel Convento), in August 1924, who presented a new delightful recipe in Amalfi: pasta filled with minced meat, ricotta, and fior di latte (a fresh cheese), which became part of traditional Campania cuisine in no time! Furthermore, in 1987 in a rare publication of a booklet, we read about the "Birth of Cannelloni all’amalfitana". There are also three drawings and the recipe of cannelloni, now famous not only in the local gastronomy but also in Italy and worldwide. To conclude, also the poet Gabriele D'Annunzio was not immune to the goodness of this Campania dish, mentioning it with great enthusiasm in a letter to his cook, Albina, begging her to cook this irresistible dish for him.
On the other hand, how can you resist the scent and the tasting crust of this delicious pasta? I am sure that now you will all go to prepare a generous pan of it!