SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI

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1 SPINACH & RICOTTA CANNELLONI Serves 4 to 6. By Dennis W. Viau; modified from a recipe in The Fine Art of Italian Cooking by Giuliano Bugialli. If you love cannelloni, this recipe won t fail you. It delivers a bold flavor of spinach and cheese along with the delicate creamy flavor of a béchamel/balsamella sauce. It s a little complicated to prepare, but it benefits from simple natural flavors. This would be appropriate for any special occasion. Ingredients: For the Pasta: 1 large egg ¼ teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon olive oil ¼ cup (43g) duram wheat semolina, more as needed ¼ cup (35g) all-purpose flour, more as needed For the Filling: 1¼ pounds (20 oz./567g) fresh spinach 2 anchovy filets 8 ounces (227g) ricotta cheese 1 large egg plus 1 egg yolk (reserve the egg white) ½ cup (57g) freshly grated Parmigiano Salt, freshly ground black pepper, freshly grated nutmeg to taste For the Balsamella: 1½ tablespoons (21g) butter 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour 1 cup (240ml) milk Salt and nutmeg to taste Directions: Prepare the pasta dough by combining all the pasta ingredients. More flour may be needed to achieve a dough that is stiff enough to knead without being dry. Knead until smooth, wrap in plastic, and set aside until needed. Heat about ¼ cup (60ml) of water in a large skillet. Add the fresh spinach, cover, and cook 1 to 2 minutes until it starts to wilt. Turn the spinach with tongs to cook evenly and add the anchovies. Cover and cook an additional minute or two until thoroughly wilted. Remove from the heat and allow to cool about 10 minutes. Squeeze the excess water from the spinach with your hands or press in batches in a potato ricer. Discard the liquid. Chop the cooked spinach well and place in a large bowl. Add the remaining filling ingredients and mix well. To taste for salt, cook a small amount in the microwave oven. Cover and set aside until needed. Melt the butter in a medium-small saucepan and add the flour. Cook 1 minute. Then add the milk and seasonings. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until the mixture thickens. Adjust for salt. Remove the heat and cover. Set aside until needed. Roll the pasta dough through a pasta machine until thin (#5 on my machine) and cut into squares about 6 inches (15cm) on each side. Heat several cups of water to boiling in a large skillet and cook the pasta squares,

2 1 or 2 at a time, about half a minute. Set aside on a tray lined with parchment paper or foil. Begin heating the oven to 375 F (190 C). Arrange a pasta square on the counter and put a generous portion of the filling close to one edge. Start rolling the pasta to enclose the filling in a tube. Moisten the final edge with egg white and press into place. Arrange the rolled cannelloni, seam side down, in a well-buttered baking dish. Drape the cannelloni with balsamella sauce, reserving about half the sauce for garnish when serving. Cover with foil and bake 20 to 30 minutes until thoroughly heated all the way through. Plate and drape with additional heated balsamella sauce (thin with additional milk if too thick). Garnish, if desired, with a little chopped fresh parsley. In Italy cannelloni is never served as a main course, but as a starter. Feel free, however, to make this cannelloni the center of a meal. 1 STEP-BY-STEP 2 The traditional way to start making fresh pasta dough is to place a mound of flour on the counter, make a depression in the center, and then break an egg into the depression. Work the flour into the egg. I have been starting pasta dough in a bowl for more than 40 years; and it hasn t failed me yet. Break an egg into the bowl and add the salt. Whisk to blend well.

3 2 3 Add the flours and combine, adding more flour a little at a time as needed, until the mixture is dry enough to knead. 3 Place the mixture on the counter and knead with your hands until smooth. Wrap in plastic and set aside until needed. This dough can be made a day in advance, in which case refrigerate it to store.

4 4 4 Put about a quarter cup of water in a large skillet and add the spinach. Cover and cook 1 to 2 minutes. Add the anchovy fillets and then turn the spinach with tongs to cook it evenly. Cover and cook another minute or two until fully wilted. Then let cool about 10 minutes. 5 You can either press excess moisture out of the spinach with your hands or use a potato ricer, which works very well. Squeeze the spinach well and discard the liquid.

5 6 5 Chop the cooked spinach well. 7 Place the chopped spinach in a large bowl and add the remaining filling ingredients. Blend well. Cover and set aside until needed. The filling can be made a day in advance and be stored, covered, in the refrigerator.

6 8 6 To start the balsamella, melt the butter and add the flour. Mix to form a roux. Cook for about one minute. 9 Add the milk and seasoning. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until thickened. Cover and set aside.

7 10 7 Use a pasta machine to roll the dough into a wide sheet. On my machine the #5 setting is the best thickness. 11 Use a fluted cutter to cut the sheet into squares. 12 Heat water to boiling in a large skillet and cook the pasta squares less than a minute.

8 13 8 Place a generous portion of the filling along one edge of a pasta square and roll the pasta into a tube to enclose the filling. Dampen the final edge with a little of the reserved egg white to seal. 14 Arrange the cannelloni seam side down in a well buttered baking dish.

9 15 9 Drape the cannelloni with some of the balsamella sauce, reserving about half the sauce for garnish when serving. Cover the dish with foil and bake in a 375 F (190 C) oven 20 to 30 minutes to heat the filling all the way through. 16 To serve, plate one or two cannelloni and drape with more balsamella sauce (heated if necessary). You can garnish the top with a little chopped fresh parsley. Conclusion These cannelloni are a little complicated to make, but they are well worth the effort. Although they are never served as a main course in Italy, feel free to make them the center of a special dinner.