Cannelloni with Lamb Ragu / Cannelloni Ripieni di Agnello

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat and cook the lamb until it is browned. Add the fennel seeds, salt and pepper and cook for 5 minutes. Transfer the lamb to a bowl and stir in the cheese and 1/2 cup of the tomato basil sauce. Set aside.
2. Cut the rested pasta dough into 4 pieces. Work with one piece at a time, keeping the rest covered. Roll out the dough through a pasta machine to the thinnest setting. Cut each sheet into 5 X 4-inch rectangles, laying the pieces on floured cloths in single layers as you make them.
3. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the cannelloni a few at a time for 2 to 3 minutes. Remove them with a strainer, drain, and plunge them into a large casserole dish filled with ice water to cool them. Pat them dry on a clean towel before filling them.
4. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
5. Butter two 9 x 13-inch baking pans. Spread a thin layer of tomato sauce in the bottom of each pan. Spread 3 tablespoons of the lamb filling on each pasta square, roll them into cylinders, and place them in the prepared pans, seam sides down, in a single layer. Cover the cannelloni with the remaining tomato basil sauce and sprinkle the tops with the Pecorino Romano cheese. Bake for 30 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.