Mushroom cannelloni with chestnut béchamel sauce

The best of autumn on a plate: mushrooms, chestnuts, and a creamy béchamel sauce that's simply amazing. Nothing complicated, and the kind of dish you crave when the cold weather starts.

Ingredients (for 4 people):

• 20 cannelloni sheets
  
• 400g of mixed mushrooms
  
• 200g minced pork
  
• 1 clove of garlic
  
• 1 onion
  
• 50 ml white wine
  
• Grated Emmental cheese
  
• Fresh parsley
  
• Extra virgin olive oil
  
• Black pepper
  
• Salt

Ingredients for the béchamel sauce:

• 100g chestnut puree
  
• 40g butter
  
• 40g wheat flour
  
• 600 ml milk
  
• Nutmeg
  
• Black pepper
  
• Salt

Preparation:

1. We begin by preparing the filling, which should be cold when we fill the cannelloni. In a Signature pan, add a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and sauté a chopped garlic clove. Then add a chopped onion and a pinch of salt and let it cook for 10 minutes.

2. Season the minced pork with salt and pepper, although you can use any meat you prefer. Once the onion is sautéed, add the meat and cook it. Then pour in the white wine and let it reduce over high heat for 5 minutes.

3. Clean and/or wash the mushrooms. You can use whichever you prefer; we used button mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, and black trumpet mushrooms. We cut the button mushrooms and portobello mushrooms into small pieces. Once the wine has reduced, add all the mushrooms to the pan and cook. Season lightly with salt and let them cook.

4. Once all the water has evaporated, add some chopped fresh parsley, stir, and the filling is ready. Set aside to cool.

5. Cook the pasta in plenty of boiling salted water. Add the cannelloni sheets one at a time and cook for the time indicated by the manufacturer. Stir them occasionally to prevent them from sticking together.

6. Once cooked, remove them to a bowl of cold water and place them on a clean kitchen towel. For the chestnut béchamel, you will need 10 fresh chestnuts. Make a cross-shaped cut in each chestnut with a knife and cook them for 20 minutes over medium heat. Once cooked, peel them while still hot and blend them with a little milk—the total amount of milk needed for the béchamel.
7. We add the chestnut puree to the rest of the milk and mix.
8. Now, let's make the béchamel sauce. In a saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, add the flour and cook for 5 minutes over low heat. Pour in the milk and stir. Season with salt, white pepper, and nutmeg to taste.
9. We add a little of the béchamel sauce to the filling to make it creamier and mix it in. We drizzle a little extra virgin olive oil onto a baking tray and spread it around; this will prevent the pasta from sticking.
10. Fill the cannelloni along one side and roll them up. Once rolled, place them in a baking dish. Cover with béchamel sauce and sprinkle with a generous amount of grated Emmental cheese. At this point, you can store them in the refrigerator until ready to serve or even freeze them.
11. We broil them until they're golden brown to our liking. A different and original dish that I hope you'll try.