I love this dish. It does take a while to prepare, but it more than makes up for it in taste and satisfaction. Spinach and ricotta are a winning combination, made all the more indulgent with the addition of the mascarpone. The herbs really are important for this dish, so don't skimp on them, buy a big bunch of each and make sure that you really do use a very large handful of each (herbs are often quite expensive in supermarkets, if you live near a Mediterranean/Middle eastern or Indian shop you can often pick herbs up for a fraction of the price). If you are in a rush or short on time, you could buy a jar of ready made tomato sauce to quicken the process.
Serves 4-6 people
Ingredients
Tomato sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 celery stalks, finely sliced
1 large carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, crushed
500g passata
Pinch of sugar
Sea salt and black pepper
Cannelloni
800g spinach
100g parmesan cheese, finely grated
250g ricotta cheese
250g mascarpone
Zest of 1/2 lemon
Good grate of fresh nutmeg.
Large handful of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
Large handful of basil, roughly chopped
Sea salt and black pepper
16 lasagne sheets (use fresh pasta if possible, however, if you can't get hold of it used dried, but soak the pasta in hot water for 5-10 minutes before rolling the cannelloni so that the pasta is soft and pliable and will roll easily without snapping)
White sauce
60g butter
60g plain flour
1 pint whole milk
Grate of fresh nutmeg
30g parmesan cheese, grated
20g panic breadcrumbs (optional)
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
Tomato sauce
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan.
Fry the onion for 5 minutes until softened.
Add the celery and fry for 3 minutes more.
Add the grated carrot and fry for a further 2 minutes.
Add the crushed garlic and fry for 1 further minute.
Add the passata and sugar and season well with salt and pepper.
Allow to bubble very gently for 20 minutes whilst you prepare the rest of the dish.
Cannelloni
Place the spinach into a colander and pour over a full kettle of boiling water.
Allow to sit and drain for 2 minutes and then squeeze the spinach (best done by placing the spinach in a clean tea towel and wringing it out) - be careful as the spinach may still be very hot.
Roughly chop the spinach and place in a large bowl.
Add the parsley, basil, mascarpone, ricotta, grated parmesan, lemon zest, a good pinch of sea salt, a generous few cracks of black pepper and a good grate of nutmeg.
Mix well to combine and taste.
Add more sea salt if necessary.
Set aside until ready to use.
White sauce
Melt the butter in a heavy based pan.
When melted, add the flour and whisk to combine for 30 seconds to 1 minute (this will cook out the flour and stop the sauce tasty chalky).
Slowly add the milk, whisking continually, until all of the milk is incorporated and the sauce begins to thicken.
Season well and add a grate of nutmeg.
Allow to bubble gently for a couple of minutes to thicken the sauce (the sauce should be nice and thick, not too runny), whisking every now and again.
Remove from the heat.
To assemble
Pour the tomato sauce over the base of a large rectangular dish.
Take a lasagne sheet and place a large tablespoon of the spinach and ricotta mixture onto the lasagne sheet.
Gently roll up the sheet into a large cigar shape and place on top of the tomato sauce.
Repeat with the rest of the lasagne sheets and spinach and ricotta mixture.
Ensure the cannelloni are snugly packed into the rectangular dish.
Pour over the white sauce.
Sprinkle over the panko breadcrumbs first (if using), and then sprinkle over the rest of the parmesan.
Place in the oven for 20-30 minutes until golden brown.
Remove from the oven and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.
Lovely served with a fresh green salad and a nice glass of wine.
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