The essence of Catalonia in a cannelloni: the ritual of Montserrat Fontané, mother of the famous Roca brothers.
Recipe and images taken from the book Cocina Madre, Planeta Gastro
Photograph of the cannelloni by Becky Lawton; Photograph of the Roca Brothers by Mikel Ponce
The dish
Just as in Italy, in Catalonia, holidays such as Christmas, Boxing Day, and Easter are often marked by the slow ritual of preparing cannelloni. The tradition of these stuffed pasta tubes, which originated in the late 19th century under the influence of Italian and French “master chefs” who then delighted Barcelona’s upper middle class, has evolved over time into an act of collective love and the “democratization of taste.” What was once a legacy of aristocratic kitchens has become the symbol of the hearth, a dish where the ingenuity of making do meets the solemnity of the occasion.
But if there is one place where this dish transcends gastronomy to become a “religion,” it is at Can Roca, in the Taialà neighborhood of Girona. Here, in the shadow of the legendary El Celler de Can Roca, the original fires of the family restaurant still burn: the kitchen of Montserrat Fontané, mother of the famous three-starred brothers. While Joan, Josep, and Jordi have climbed the Olympus of the global restaurant world with avant-garde innovations and experimentation, Montserrat has remained the guardian of the family recipe book, the “vestal virgin” of every flavor. Her cannelloni—celebrated in the book Cocina Madre, published by Planeta Gastro—are not just a recipe, but the DNA of one of the most influential culinary dynasties on the planet.
Can Roca's Cannelloni
Ingredients
For the filling:
- 300 g veal
- 100 g pork
- 100 g chicken breast
- 50 g chicken livers
- 2 onions
- 2 cloves of garlic
- Aged wine and Cognac to taste
- 125 g ricotta or Emmental
- Grated tomato to taste
- Breadcrumbs
- 12 cannelloni sheets
For the béchamel sauce and finishing:
- 1 liter of milk
- 30 g of butter (+ a few small pieces for browning)
- 30 g of flour
- Salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste
- Grated cheese to taste
The method: the art of taking one’s time
1. Browning and the aromatic base
The secret to great cannelloni lies in how you prepare the meat. Cut the veal, pork, and chicken into even cubes, then brown them in a saucepan with a generous drizzle of olive oil. Once the meat has browned, add the sliced garlic and finely grated onion. Cover and let it simmer very gently for about 40 minutes: the meat must break down and soften, absorbing the juices from the sautéed mixture.
2. Deglazing and the Touch of Liver
Turn up the heat slightly and deglaze with a blend of aged wine and cognac. Once the alcohol has evaporated, add the chicken livers, which will impart depth and a refined, meaty note. Finally, add the grated tomato and let everything reduce until the mixture is well-bound and fragrant.
3. The texture of the filling
Soak the breadcrumbs in milk and mix them into the meat. Process the mixture in a food processor (aiming for a medium texture, not an overly fine paste) and season with salt. This “filling” should be soft and velvety.
4. The pasta
Boil the pasta sheets according to the package instructions, then quickly rinse them in cold water to stop the cooking process. Carefully place them on a white linen towel, gently patting them dry. Spread a generous teaspoon of filling on each sheet and roll them up neatly to form your cylinders.
5. The Signature Béchamel
In a small saucepan, heat half a liter of milk. In a second pan, melt the butter and add the flour, letting the roux cook for a couple of minutes over low heat. Gradually incorporate the milk, stirring vigorously to prevent lumps. Simmer for another two minutes and season with salt, white pepper, and a pinch of nutmeg.
6. The Transformation in the Oven
Spread a thin layer of béchamel sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. Arrange the cannelloni neatly and cover them with the remaining sauce. Sprinkle generously with grated cheese and add a few small pieces of butter to encourage the Maillard reaction. Bake at 200°C until golden brown and crispy.
The gourmet touch
For special occasions, Montserrat suggests elevating the recipe by adding duck liver or black truffle shavings to the filling, or by using fresh homemade pasta for an even more delicate texture.
