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Cannelloni with Beef and Swiss Chard

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  • SERVINGS: 4
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The home cooks of Nice stuff their cannelloni with leftover daube and greens and spread their own tomato sauce on top, but you can use any braised meat and a good prepared tomato sauce.

Plus: Pasta ...

  1. 3 tablespoons olive oil
  2. 1 small onion, chopped
  3. 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  4. Kosher salt
  5. 1 1/2 cups chopped canned Italian plum tomatoes with their juices
  6. 1/2 cup tomato juice
  7. 1/2 cup sauce from Beef Daube with Wild Mushrooms
  8. Freshly ground pepper
  9. 2 pounds Swiss chard leaves
  10. 1 cup leftover meat from Beef Daube with Wild Mushrooms
  11. 2 large eggs
  12. 1/2 pound fresh pasta sheets, cut into twelve 4-inch squares
  13. About 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and garlic and season with salt, then cover and cook over low heat until softened but not browned, about 4 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato juice and cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 20 minutes. Strain the sauce through a food mill. Stir in 1/4 cup of daube sauce and season with salt and pepper.
  2. Preheat the oven to 350°. Cook the Swiss chard in boiling salted water until tender, about 3 minutes; drain. Rinse in cold water and drain, then squeeze dry. Coarsely chop the chard.
  3. In a food processor, pulse the Swiss chard with the daube meat until chopped. Add the eggs and 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper and pulse until blended. Transfer the mixture to a bowl and add the remaining 1/4 cup of daube sauce.
  4. Cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente, about 3 minutes. Have ready a large bowl of cold water, and when the pasta is done, transfer the sheets to the cold water. Lift the pasta sheets from the water and drain them thoroughly on paper towels.
  5. Brush a 14-by-10-inch gratin dish with the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Put 2 tablespoons of the daube filling on each pasta square and roll it up. Arrange the cannelloni in a single layer in the gratin dish. Spoon the tomato sauce over the top and sprinkle with the 1/2 cup of Parmesan. Bake for about 30 minutes, or until heated through. Let cool slightly before serving. Pass additional Parmesan at the table.

Suggested Pairing

Look for a wine with enough acidity to stand up to the tomato sauce, such as a Syrah-based St-Joseph.