Stuffed conchiglioni in tomato sauce

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 2 m.-sized onion(s)
• 2 cloves garlic
• 3 stalk(s) Celery , alternatively a piece of celery root
• 1 m.-sized carrot(s)
• 1 large can of tomatoes, approx. 800 g, or 1 kg fresh tomatoes
• 2 sprigs of herbs (oregano, possibly thyme and parsley) or 1/2 tsp dried Italian herbs
• 1 tsp sugar
• ½ cinnamon stick(s), or 1 good pinch of cinnamon powder
• 1 jar white wine
• 2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• some broth, instant
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 50 g butter
• 50 g flour
• 500 ml milk, possibly more
• some salt
• Pepper, white
• some nutmeg, freshly grated
• 300 g minced meat, as desired
• 300 g mushrooms, fresh
• 1 medium-sized onion(s), finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 tbsp fresh basil, chopped
• 2 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated
• 2 m.-sized eggs
• 25 g butter
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• salt and pepper
• 24 pasta (conchiglioni giant clam pasta)
• some butter for the mold
• 3 tbsp Parmesan, freshly grated, or cheese of your choice
• 40 g butter

Instructions

Working time approx. 1 hour 10 minutes; Cooking/baking time approx. 35 minutes; Total time approx. 1 hour 45 minutes

a bit complicated, but very tasty!

For the tomato sauce, clean the vegetables. Remove the strings from the celery and cut into approximately 1 cm wide pieces. Clean the carrots and roughly dice them. Peel the fresh tomatoes, remove the stems, and roughly dice them. Heat the olive oil in a large pan. First, sauté the onion and garlic, then add the remaining vegetables and herbs and let them cook for a while. Then deglaze with the white wine and vinegar. Now add the tomatoes and their juice, chopping the whole tomatoes a little first. Add half a stick or a good pinch of cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of salt, a little pepper, and a teaspoon of sugar; if using sweet wine, omit the sugar. Cover the sauce and simmer gently over low heat. The longer the better, but for at least 45 minutes. Remove the cinnamon stick and puree the sauce with a hand blender. Finally, add the chopped basil. Season again with salt, pepper, and a little instant broth. While the tomato sauce is cooking, prepare the béchamel sauce and the filling. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan, stir in the flour, and sauté until golden brown. Heat the milk. Remove from the heat and gradually stir in about 2/3 of the milk with a whisk. Bring to a boil and then thin with the remaining milk until a very thick sauce forms. Season the sauce with salt, pepper, and freshly grated nutmeg and simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat and let it swell for about 20 minutes, thinning again if necessary. For the filling, clean the mushrooms and chop them fairly roughly. Heat the oil and butter in a pan. Add the mushrooms, onion, and garlic to the hot pan and sauté briefly. Add the minced meat and mash it with a fork (as for Bolognese), season with salt, pepper, and fry. Let the mixture cool slightly. Then add the remaining ingredients and about 8 tablespoons of béchamel sauce and mix thoroughly. Season with salt and pepper if desired and taste again. Butter a large baking dish and pour in the prepared tomato sauce. Now fill the pasta generously with the mixture and place it relatively close together in the sauce. Spread the remaining béchamel sauce over the pasta, sprinkle with the cheese and scatter knobs of butter on top. If you prefer a different cheese, such as Emmental, you can omit the butter. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and bake in a preheated oven at 225 degrees Celsius (425 degrees Fahrenheit) for 25 minutes (200 degrees Celsius fan-assisted oven). Then remove the foil, increase the heat and bake for about another 10 minutes, broiling if necessary, until the surface is golden brown.