Delia Smith Cannelloni Food

SPINACH AND RICOTTA LASAGNE WITH PINE NUTS

Steps:

• Begin this by making the sauce, which can be done using the all-in-one method. This means placing the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf together in a saucepan, giving it a good seasoning, then, over a medium heat, whisking the whole lot together continually until it comes to simmering point and has thickened. Now turn the heat down to its lowest possible setting and allow the sauce to cook gently for 5 minutes. After that, stir in 2 oz (50 g) of the Parmesan, then remove it from the heat, discard the bay leaf and place some clingfilm over the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Now you need to deal with the spinach. First of all remove and discard the stalks, then wash the leaves really thoroughly in 2 or 3 changes of cold water and shake them dry. Next, take your largest saucepan, pop the knob of butter in it, then pile the spinach leaves in on top, sprinkling them with a little salt as you go. Now place the pan over a medium heat, put a lid on and cook the spinach for about 2 minutes, turning the leaves over halfway through. After that, the leaves will have collapsed down and become tender. Next drain the spinach in a colander and, when it's cool enough to handle, squeeze it in your hands to get rid of every last drop of liquid. Then place it on a chopping board and chop it finely. Now put it into a bowl, add the ricotta, then approximately 5 fl oz (150 ml) of the sauce. Give it a good seasoning of salt and pepper and add the grated nutmeg. Then mix everything together really thoroughly and, finally, fold in the crumbled Gorgonzola. Now you need to place a small frying pan over a medium heat, add the pine nuts and dry-fry them for about 1 minute, tossing them around to get them nicely toasted but being careful that they don't burn. Then remove the pan from the heat and assemble the lasagne. To do this, spread a quarter of the sauce into the bottom of the dish and, on top of that, a third of the spinach mixture, followed by a scattering of toasted pine nuts. Now place sheets of pasta on top of this - you may need to tear some of them in half with your hands to make them fit. Now repeat the whole process, this time adding a third of the grated Mozzarella along with the pine nuts, then the lasagne sheets. Repeat again, finishing with a layer of pasta, the rest of the sauce and the remaining Parmesan and Mozzarella. When you are ready to cook the lasagne, place it on the middle shelf of the pre-heated oven and bake for 50-60 minutes, until the top is golden and bubbling. Then remove it from the oven and let it settle for about 10 minutes before serving. For more pasta recipes see our Cookery School Videos for Perfect Pasta and Baked Pasta on this page

BRAISED LAMB SHANKS WITH CANNELLINI BEANS

Steps:

• Begin by skinning the tomatoes. Place them in a heatproof bowl and pour boiling water on to them. Leave them for exactly a minute, then remove them and slip off their skins (protecting your hands with a tea cloth if they are hot). You can watch how to do this in our Online Cookery School Video on the right. Then chop them fairly roughly. Next, using a potato peeler, remove the worst of the stringy bits from the celery and cut it into 2 inch (5 cm) chunks. Now pre-heat the oven to gas mark 1, 275°F (140°C). After that, you need to heat the oil in the casserole over a highish heat. Then, season the lamb shanks with salt and freshly milled black pepper and, when the oil is really hot, brown them on all sides, holding them at the bone end while protecting your hand again with the tea cloth, and turning them round in the hot oil. When they're nicely browned, remove them to a plate and, keeping the heat high, add the celery, onion and carrots and brown them as well, turning and tossing them around for about 6 minutes. Now stir in the garlic, cook for one minute, then add the drained beans and give everything another good stir. Next, add the tomatoes, wine, bay leaf, chopped rosemary and some seasoning. Then, finally, place the lamb shanks on top and when everything is beginning to simmer, cover with the lid and transfer the casserole to the oven to braise very slowly for 3 hours. Serve garnished with the sprigs of rosemary.

PANCAKE CANNELLONI WITH SPINACH AND FOUR CHEESES

Steps:

• First of all, make the pancakes as described in the Basic Pancakes recipe below, but no need to have sugar or lemon to serve. These pancakes should be thicker so use 2 tablespoons (ie 4 dessertspoons) of batter for each pancake. You should end up with 12-14 pancakes. If you haven't made pancakes before, you can watch how to in our Cookery School Video on the right. Now make the sauce by placing the milk, butter, flour and bay leaf in a saucepan and bring everything up to simmering point, whisking all the time until the sauce has thickened. Season it with salt, pepper and a good grating of nutmeg. Then turn it down to its lowest setting and let the sauce simmer for 2 minutes, and remove it from the heat before stirring in the cream. Meanwhile, cook the spinach by placing it in a large saucepan with the butter and cooking it briefly for 1-2 minutes, tossing it around until it wilts and collapses down, then drain it in a colander and squeeze it hard to get rid of all the excess juice. Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 6, 400F (200C) Now place the spinach in a bowl, chop it roughly with a knife and then add the ricotta, Gogonzola, parmesan and a grating of the nutmeg. Mix everything together, seasoning with pepper, but no salt, as the cheeses can be quite salty. Next, add the chopped spring onions and 4 or 5 tablespoons of the sauce. Then lay a pancake out and place a tablespoon of the filling on to it, then roll it up, tucking in the edges and repeat this with the remaining pancakes. Lay the filled pancakes side by side in the baking dish and scatter the mozzarella all over them. Next, pour over the sauce. Finally, sprinkle the parmesan over the surface. Then bake the cannelloni on the highest shelf of the oven for 25-30 minutes until the top is brown and sauce is bubbling.

SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• First make the tomato sauce. Heat the oil in a large pan and fry the garlic for 1 min. Add the sugar, vinegar, tomatoes and some seasoning and simmer for 20 mins, stirring occasionally, until thick. Add the basil and divide the sauce between 2 or more shallow ovenproof dishes (see Tips for freezing, below). Set aside. Make a sauce by beating the mascarpone with the milk until smooth, season, then set aside.
• Put the spinach in a large colander and pour over a kettle of boiling water to wilt it (you may need to do this in batches). When cool enough to handle squeeze out the excess water. Roughly chop the spinach and mix in a large bowl with 100g Parmesan and ricotta. Season well with salt, pepper and the nutmeg.
• Heat oven to 200C/180C fan/gas 6. Using a piping bag or plastic food bag with the corner snipped off, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni tubes. Lay the tubes, side by side, on top of the tomato sauce and spoon over the mascarpone sauce. Top with Parmesan and mozzarella. You can now freeze the cannelloni, uncooked, or you can cook it first and then freeze. Bake for 30-35 mins until golden and bubbling. Remove from oven and let stand for 5 mins before serving.

PANCAKE CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 200C or 400 degrees F.
• Make the béchamel sauce by the all-in-one method.
• That means to add everything (except the mozzarella) to a saucepan and whisk over a medium heat till smooth and thickened.
• Continue to cook gently for 5 minutes, whisking now and then to prevent it sticking.
• Now lay the pancakes out and place an equal quantity (about 1 heaped tbsp) of cold bolognese sauce on each one and roll it up, folding in the edges.
• Next lay the pancakes in an ovenproof dish side by side with the ends tucked up underneath.
• Sprinkle over the grated mozzarella.
• Pour the bechamel sauce over the top to give an even covering.
• Finally sprinkle over the grated parmesan and oil and place the dish on a high shelf in the oven for 30 minutes or until the surface is golden and the sauce bubbling.

HAM AND CHICKEN CANNELLONI WITH SAUCE

Steps:

• 1. Saute the garlic in 1/4 cup butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat until golden. Add the flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add half-and-half, cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is thickened and bubbly.
• 2. Stir in the bouillon granules and white pepper. Add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/4 cup Romano cheese, stirring until the cheeses melt. Set aside, and keep warm.
• 3. Cook cannelloni shells according to the package directions; drain well, and set aside.
• 4. Saute the green onions in 2 tablespoons butter in a large skillet, over medium heat until tender. Remove from the heat; add remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, remaining 1/4 cup Romano cheese, spinach, and remaining ingredients, stirring well.
• 5. Stuff the cannelloni shells with the spinach mixture. Place the cannelloni shells in a greased 11 x 7 x 1 1/2 inch baking dish. Spoon the reserved cheese sauce over the stuffed shells.
• 6. Bake, uncovered, at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.