Pasta
Cannelloni
Use fresh lasagne sheets in a new pasta bake – cannelloni are cigar-shaped tubes filled with meat and cheese, smothered in tomato sauce and baked. What are you waiting for?
Ingredients
- 18-20 fresh pasta sheets (approx 13cm x 10cm/5in x 4in)
- 1 onion, finely chopped
- 8 tbsp Italian olive oil
- 500g/17oz minced beef
- 700g/24oz ricotta cheese
- 150g/5oz mascarpone cheese
- pinch of grated nutmeg
- 200g/7oz grated parmesan cheese
- 100g/3oz parmesan shavings
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 800g/12oz Italian tinned chopped tomatoes
- handful (approx. 15) fresh basil leaves
- 160ml/5½ fl oz double cream
- 4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Method
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Preheat the oven to 200C/400F/Gas 6.
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Gently fry the onion in olive oil until golden.
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Add in the minced beef and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook for 10-15 minutes. Allow meat to cool.
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Mix the cooked meat with the ricotta cheese, mascarpone, nutmeg and parmesan cheese in a large clean bowl.
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Taste the mixture and then season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Take a sheet of pasta and at one end place two heaped tablespoons of meat mix.
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Gently roll the pasta to achieve a filled tube shape.
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Place in a deep-sided baking tray. Repeat the process until the baking tray is full and the pasta sheets are all used up.
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Pour over the chopped tomatoes. Top with the basil, drizzle over the cream and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Finally, drizzle the extra virgin olive oil on top and bake for approximately 20 minutes. For the first 10 minutes cover with foil, then remove.
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To serve, place three cannelloni on a plate and top with shaved parmesan and (if you like) a glass of Italian medium red wine.
Cannelloni