Cannelloni Con Cani

Con Cani means With Dogs. Please don't call the SPCA - I'm not having my dogs for dinner, I'm just having dinner with my dogs. I was going to have Cannelloni Con Robbie Williams. But he didn't answer his phone. I'm sure he would have. If it was, in fact, his number I dialled. Which is unlikely, since I dialled 1-800-I-WANT-ROBBIE.

Cannelloni is wonderful. It's the sexy version of lasagna, which is essentially pasta lying flat on its back. Rows of rolled cannelloni stuffed and snuggled together, now that's an orgy!! I made the two classic versions - Con Carne stuffed with beef and Con Spinaci stuffed with spinach. At university I worked at Palermo, a wonderful Italian restaurant where they'd serve a combination of the two. (Sadly, as at the Spur, I was fired before I got the recipe...) 

However, for my lone vegetarian friend Rosie I will separate the two. Not that she'd ever make it, I should add, she eats like a bird. A ladybird. 

But, my vegetarian friend, know that you were on my mind... 

xx

J

PS - You can make cannelloni from scratch (yawn) or you can use white lasagna sheets as wraps or, like me, you can buy a pack of the Barilla cannelloni, which is perfect. In this particular case the spinach recipe fills 8 tubes and the beef recipe fills the other 17.  

CANNELLONI CON CARNE

 
1.5 Onions chopped
4 Garlic cloves crushed
75g Bacon chopped
100g Mushrooms chopped
500g Mince
2 Tins chopped tomatoes
1c Beef stock
3T Breadcrumbs
1 Egg
17 Tubes cannelloni
60g Mozzarella
3/4c Cream
1/2c Parmesan
1T Parsley chopped
1T Basil chopped

Fry one onion, the bacon & half the garlic until soft. Stir in the mushrooms and 1/2t dried basil/other Italian herb and fry for another couple of minutes. Add the mince and fry until browned. Season, add the chopped parsley, 1/2 tin chopped tomatoes and beef stock. Partially cover and simmer for an hour. Remove the lid and simmer for another 1/2 hour to reduce the liquid. Remove from heat, add breadcrumbs and egg. To make the tomato sauce fry the other 1/2 onion and the rest of the garlic until soft. Add the rest of the chopped tomatoes, the basil, a cup of water and season. Simmer for 1/2 hour or more until sauce has thickened. Find a dish that will comfortably fit all the tubes in a single layer and cover the bottom with the sauce. Use a piping bag (or snip a corner off a jiffy bag to serve as one) and fill the tubes with the beef, then layer then on top of the sauce. Grate over the mozzarella, mix together the cream and parmesan, season and pour over. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes.

CANNELLONI CON SPINACI

 

2 Garlic cloves sliced

200g Spinach
1 Hand oreganum chopped
1 Hand basil chopped stems and leaves separate
1 Tin chopped tomatoes
200g Ricotta
1c Parmesan
8 Tubes cannelloni
60g Mozzarella torn
250ml Creme fraiche

Fry spinach with a knob of butter, 1T olive oil, 1 clove garlic, oreganum and 1/4t nutmeg until soft. Allow to cool then chop up and put back into the liquid. Mix with ricotta, 1/2c parmesan and season. Fry other clove of garlic with the basil stalks, add tomatoes and 1/2c water and simmer for 15 minutes until the sauce thickens. Remove from heat, season and add basil leaves. Find a dish that will comfortably fit all the tubes in a single layer and cover the bottom with the sauce. Use a piping bag (or snip a corner off a jiffy bag to serve as one) and fill the tubes with the spinach, then layer then on top of the sauce. Mix together the creme fraiche and 1/4c parmesan, season and pour over. Drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with 1/4c parmesan and mozzarella. Bake at 180C for 25 minutes.