Pancake Cannelloni With Spinach And Four Cheeses Recipes

PANCAKE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat the grill to high and cook the meatballs for 12-15 mins on a baking tray or following pack instructions. Cut each one in half and set aside.
• Tip the spinach into a large colander over the sink. Pour boiling water over to wilt it and leave to drain thoroughly. When cool enough to handle, squeeze out any excess liquid and chop finely. Mix the spinach with the pesto, ricotta, egg and nutmeg, then season to taste.
• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5. Pour the passata over the bottom of an ovenproof dish and stir in the garlic. Divide the spinach mixture between the pancakes, spreading it out in a long strip in the centre. Add meatball pieces to each one, then roll the pancake up to seal in the filling. Lay the stuffed pancakes on the passata base and top with the mozzarella. Bake for 30 mins until the cheese is melted and bubbling. Scatter over basil leaves to serve.

SPINACH BEEF CANNELLONI (MANICOTTI)

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large saucepan or pot over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook 2 minutes. Add carrot and celery, cook 5 minutes.
• Add remaining Sauce ingredients then stir. Bring to simmer, lower heat to medium, cover with lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Use a stick blender to blitz until smooth (or cool slightly and use blender or food processor). Set aside.
• Heat oil in a large skillet over high heat. Add onion and garlic, cook 2 minutes.
• Add beef and cook, breaking it up as you go, until it all changes from red to brown.
• Stir in spinach, then add crumbled beef cube, Worcestershire sauce, pepper and 1 cup of Cannelloni Sauce. Stir, cook 2 minutes.
• Remove and cool slightly.
• Preheat oven to 180°C/350°F.
• Transfer Beef Filling into a piping bag with a wide nozzle. Stand cannelloni tubes upright in a container, then pipe filling in. (Or do this step with teaspoon/finger/dinner knife!).
• Spread about 1 1/4 cups Sauce in a 23x33cm / 9x13" dish. Lay the cannelloni on top, then pour over remaining Sauce.
• Sprinkle with cheese, loosely cover with foil.
• Bake 25 minutes, remove foil then bake a further 10 minutes until the cheese is bubbly with some golden spots.
• Remove from oven, sprinkle with parsley if using then serve!

SPINACH & NUTMEG CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat oven to 190C/170C fan/gas 5 if you're serving straight away. Pierce the bag of spinach and cook in the microwave following pack instructions (if you don't have a microwave, wilt it in a pan with a dash of olive oil). Leave to cool, squeeze out as much liquid as you can, then finely chop.
• Meanwhile, make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil and fry the garlic until softened. Add the passata and tomatoes, vinegar and sugar, then season, cover and simmer for 10 mins, stirring occasionally. Remove from the heat and add the basil. Tip into the base of a large, shallow baking dish.
• To make the filling, beat the ricotta and a quarter of the mascarpone with 50g of the Parmesan and the chopped spinach. Finely grate in half the nutmeg, then beat until well mixed. For the topping, beat the remaining mascarpone with the egg and another 50g of the Parmesan.
• To make the cannelloni, divide the spinach filling into 6 parts, spoon a portion along the top of each lasagne sheet, then roll up into a big, fat tube. Cut in half across the middle with a sharp knife so that you have 2 smaller tubes, then arrange on top of the tomato sauce. As you put them in the dish, push them slightly so that the sauce oozes up the side of the cannelloni, as this will stop them sticking together when they are baked. Spoon the mascarpone mixture on top, making sure you cover the pasta - if it doesn't completely cover the sauce now, it will do once it melts and bakes. Scatter over the remaining Parmesan and grate over more nutmeg. If making ahead, cover and chill - it will keep for 1 day. Bake for 30-40 mins until golden and bubbling.

SPINACH PANCAKES

Steps:

• Put the flour, baking powder, sugar, eggs, butter, milk and spinach in a blender and whizz until you get a smooth, bright green batter.
• Heat a little more butter in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and add small dollops to the pan, 2-3 at a time. Cook for 2 mins until the edges are set, and bubbles are rising to the surface, then flip and cook for 1-2 mins more. Keep warm while you cook the remaining batches.
• Serve with berries and a drizzle of syrup to serve.

SPINACH & THREE CHEESE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a shallow pan, then fry the garlic for 1 min until fragrant. Add the sugar, vinegar and oregano. Simmer for a moment, then tip in the tomatoes and season. Simmer sauce for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until the tomatoes have cooked down to a thick sauce. Turn off heat and set aside.
• Heat oven to 200C/fan 180C/gas 6. Put the spinach in a large colander, then pour over a kettle of hot water to wilt it (you may need to do this twice). Pour over cold water to cool it down. Squeeze the spinach, then place it in a clean tea towel and wring out the water really well.
• Tip the spinach into a food processor and pulse to chop, then crumble in the goat's cheese and half the Parmesan. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, then blitz until everything is finely chopped. Using a piping bag, or a plastic food bag with the corner cut off, squeeze the mix into the cannelloni tubes, then lay them, side by side, in a baking dish. Pour over the tomato sauce and top with the mozzarella and remaining Parmesan. The cannelloni can now be frozen for up to 1 month - defrost completely before cooking. Bake for 25-30 mins until golden and bubbling, then remove and leave to stand for 5 mins. Serve from the dish.