Spinach Canneloni

My Mom made this a few days ago when I went to my folks' house for dinner.  I thought I'd died and gone to heaven.  They must have thought I hadn't eaten since the last time I'd eaten with them, about a week prior.

What she made was spinach canneloni:  Cheese filled pasta tubes, covered with white sauce and more cheese.  You could also make beef canneloni.

Start with flat pasta sheets, about 5"X5" (about 12 ounces).  You can make homemade pasta, or you can buy canneloni tubes, or manicotti tubes (which you can fill from a pastry bag).  Pasta should be cooked to al dente before filling.

Bechamel Sauce:

4 Tablespoons of butter (unsalted)
4 Tablespoons  of flour
Two cups of whole milk
Salt, pepper and freshly ground nutmeg to taste

Melt the butter in a saucepan.  Add the flour and whisk until smooth.  Slowly add milk, whisking all the while, until the sauce begins to bubble.  Turn heat down to simmer and continue to whisk 3-5 minutes over low heat until sauce is thick.  Add salt, pepper and nutmeg, and remove from heat.  (I like to add a half-cup of parmesan just after removing from the heat, making a Sauce Mornay).  If you boil the sauce with the cheese in it, it can coagulate and become lumpy.

Many recipes call for hot milk.  I use cold and add it slowly.  That and the constant whisking keeps it from becoming lumpy.  If it gets lumps, pass it through a seive.

Set the sauce aside.

Filling:

10 Ounces spinach leaves, stemmed and washed
1/4 cup minced onion or shallot
2 Tablespoons butter or oil
8 ounces ricotta cheese
1 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan
2 eggs
1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley
Salt, pepper and nutmeg to taste

Topping: 

1/2 cup grated Reggiano Parmesan

Prepare Bechamel and noodles. 

Parboil spinach in boiling salted water.  Drain.  Squeeze out all the water and coarsely chop.

Saute 1/4 cup minced shallots or yellow onions in two tablespoons butter or oil.  Add the spinach and saute until blended.  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and remove from stove to cool.

Blend Ricotta, eggs and 1 cup of parmesan.  Add the cooled spinach mixture, blend, and adjust seasonings.

Grease a large casserole dish (or two small ones).  Put a heaping tablespoon of filling on the first noodle and gently spread out to 1/2 inch from the edges.  Roll the canneloni, and place seam-side down in baking dish.  Continue until the filling is used up, placing canneloni next to each other in one layer. 

Spoon bechamel over the filled canneloni, and sprinkle 1/2 cup of parmesan over the casserole.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes, until the top is light brown and bubbly.

Serve with a green salad.

[Image from Aftonbladet]

Comments

[Dharm]

That sounds really yummy! I've been meaning to make canneloni just like this someday but just havent got round to doing it....