Birthday Boy Cannelloni

For the filling:

1. In a large frying pan over medium-high heat, melt butter.
2. Add onions (or shallots) to the pan and cook until tender and translucent (not brown).
3. Add chicken & broth. Cover and simmer until chicken is cooked (10-15 minutes)
4. Remove chicken & onion from the frying pan using a slotted spoon and place it into food processor. Allow chicken to rest with lid off the processor for 5-10 minutes to allow it to cool down.
5. Meanwhile, increase heat under frying pan and bring the broth to a boil, stirring frequently until reduced and browned. (see notes below) Continue cooking & stirring until reduced down to about 1/4 to 1/2 cup of broth remains. It will be thick and dark golden brown.
6. Scrape this reduced, thickened broth out of the frying pan into the food processor with the chicken and onions.
7. Add the ricotta, Parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg and salt to the food processor. Whirl and pulse this mixture until it is well blended and smooth. It will resemble a finely ground paste.
8. Place this mixture into a large Ziploc bag & set aside for now. You can leave the top of the bag open form now to continue allowing it to vent while it cools.

For the Sauce:

1. In a large sauce pan, melt butter over medium-high heat.
2. Add shallots and sautée 3-4 minutes until tender.
3. Remove pan from heat and whisk in flour.
4. Return to heat and add broth and milk, whisking to combine. Continue stirring and cook until thickened.
5. Reduce heat to medium and whisk in tomato paste*, pesto sauce and salt (if using). Add basil and stir to combine.
6. Assembling the dish:
7. We'll be using two 9x13" baking pans in order to allow the pasta enough room to cook evenly. Cooking times are based on preheating oven to 350°F and using glass baking dishes. Adjust according to your bakeware.
8. Scoop ½ cup of sauce into the bottom of each of 2 - 9x13" glass baking dishes and spread to cover the bottom of the pan.
9. Fill cannelloni shells by squeezing the air out of the Ziploc bag and sealing it using the zipper seal on the bag. Then, cut one of the bottom corners off the bag and an angle, cutting off only about 1/2 inch corner to start with. (You don't want too big a hole or too much filling will come out at once and make a mess.) Once your bag is prepared, put the open corner of the bag against the opening in the side of a cannelloni shell and squeeze firmly and steadily to push the filling out of the bag and into the shell. (I'll make a video someday!) Once you get the hang of this technique, it makes it go really fast.*
10. Place filled pasta shells on bed of sauce, dividing evenly between the two pans as you fill the shells. Repeat filling the shells until you fill two pans or you run out of filling or shells.
11. If necessary you can stack a few of the pasta shells on top of each other if needed, but try your best to avoid stacking.
12. Cover all shells evenly with remaining tomato sauce mixture.
13. Top with shredded mozzarella and any leftover filling on top of the mozza.
14. Bake in a 350°F oven about 40-45 minutes until sauce is bubbly , mozza cheese is melted and browned and pasta is tender.
15. Remove from oven and allow to rest 5 minutes before serving.