Cannelloni estivi alle erbe Summer cannelloni with herbs, béchamel and tomato sauce
Serves 8
1 quantity of fresh pasta made from 300g 00 flour and 3 eggs (see below)) 1 litre of béchamel (see below) 1 litre tomato passata (see below) FOR THE FILLING 250g of cooked frozen or fresh spinach, squeezed of water (pre-cooked weight of fresh spinach would be 500g) 500g ricotta, drained 50g of herbs (parsley, basil, chives, marjoram and oregano) finely chopped 50g Parmesan, finely grated plus 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg to taste Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas mark 4. First prepare the filling: making sure the spinach is well squeezed of water, then mix all the filling ingredients together in a bowl and season to taste. Roll out the pasta to roughly 2mm thick, - using the setting before last on a pasta machine. The pasta should not be too thin for cannelloni. Cut the pasta into rectangles. The pasta machine is 15cm wide, so I get two rectangles out of one width. For this dish I used 24 sheets of pasta measuring 7 x 15cm. When cooked they expand to around 10 x 17cm. Cook the sheets in batches in salted boiling water for three minutes then remove with tongs and drop into cold water cooled with some ice cubes. After a minute in the cold water lift them out and stretch them out onto clean tea towels. Trim the pasta sheets again if necessary to size and use straight away. Start by putting a layer of béchamel into the dish. Put a heaped tablespoon of filling onto each pasta sheet. Roll up the pasta leaving an overlap of pasta of about 3 cm but no more or it will be chewy and undercooked. Place the cannelloni down onto the béchamel with the seam facing down. Spoon over a layer of tomato and béchamel sauces. I like the pasta to be not completely covered so that some of it becomes crispy so I don’t cover it completely with sauce. Now build up the second layer and spoon over the sauces again. Finish by scattering over the remaining Parmesan. Bake for 30 minutes or until browned and crispy. Variation: Other filling ideas are endless but one that is popular in our house is chicken and cheese. I mince up leftover cooked chicken with a handful of parsley in a food processor and then stir in ricotta, nutmeg, grated Parmesan and then season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook in the same way as the Summer Herb Cannelloni. Pasta fresca Fresh Pasta Recipe This is the general guide to pasta – 1 egg to 100g of ‘00’ flour. However as egg sizes differ, a little bending of the rules is sometimes necessary. Ideally pasta is made on a wooden surface as the tiny particles of wood that project from the surface add texture, helping the pasta to absorb the sauce that eventually coat it. Many Italians use a tablecloth for the same purpose. The surface of pasta rolled onto a metal or a work surface or through a pasta machine is completely smooth and not so absorbent. This means that dried pasta, which is normally made through metal rollers, has a smooth, harder exterior better designed for liquid sauces such as seafood or tomato. Its lack of absorbency prevents it from becoming soggy. Makes enough long pasta for 6 people for a starter or 4 as a main course
200g ‘00’ flour, plus a little extra if necessary
2 medium free range eggs, preferably corn-fed for colour
Pour the flour onto a flat surface or into a bowl and make a well in the centre of the mound. The walls around the edge of the mound should be high enough to contain the eggs. Crack the eggs into the well in the centre. Using a table knife, gradually mix in the egg and flour. Keep mixing the egg and flour until they form a thick paste. Using the fingertips of one hand to incorporate the rest of the flour. If working on a flat surface, when the dough forms a ball but lots of smaller, dried crumbs remain, put the ball of of dough to one side and sieve the crumbs and flour. Add the large wetter crumbs and the sifted flour to the dough and knead again to blend them in. Discard the dry little crumbs. The dough should form a soft but firm, flexible ball. If it is still sticking to palm of your hand, add a little more flour until it stops sticking but be cautious, stop adding flour as soon as it stops sticking. If it’s really dry and has many cracks add a drop of two of water - do this in a bowl. Knead the pasta for 5-10 minutes, or until it springs back to the touch. If you cut the ball of dough open it should be full of small air bubbles; this means you have kneaded it for long enough.
Leave the pasta 'to rest' on the table top for 20mins with a bowl inverted over it. Alternatively, lightly dust the pasta with flour and wrap it in clingfilm to prevent it from drying out while it rests. Meanwhile, clean the work surface. Scrape all the stuck pasta off with the blade of a knife and use a damp cloth to clean the rest. Béchamel sauce Makes 1.5 litres 1.5 litres milk 1 small onion, peeled and cut in half 2 bay leaves ¼ nutmeg, finely grated Salt and black pepper, to taste 150g butter 120g plain flour Makes 1 litre 1 litre of milk 1 small onion, peeled and cut in half 1 bay leaf A good pinch each of nutmeg, Salt and black pepper 100g butter 70g plain flour Put the milk, onion, bay leaves, nutmeg, salt and black pepper into a medium saucepan over the heat and bring to a gentle boil. Meanwhile, make a roux: melt the butter in a small saucepan and stir in the flour. Cook the butter and flour for a few minutes over a medium heat, stirring constantly. Remove the bay leaves and onion from the milk, then add the roux, whisking furiously. Cook until it thickens, adjust the seasoning to taste and remove from the heat. Cover the surface of the béchamel with clingfilm or a circle of dampened baking parchment to stop a skin forming. Tip: if, when you come to use the béchamel, you find it too thick, add a little milk to thin out. Reheating also helps. Tomato Passata Passata al Pomodoro Serves 6 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil 2 celery sticks, broken in half 1 carrot, cut into half lengthways 1 red onion, peeled and cut in half 3 large sprigs of basil 1.2kg Italian tinned plum tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon sugar Salt Heat the oil in a large frying pan over a medium heat. Briefly fry all the vegetables and basil in the hot oil then add the tinned tomatoes. Season with salt and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes to 1 hour, depending on how much time you have: the longer you can leave it the more concentrated the flavour. Stir regularly, breaking up the tomatoes with a wooden spoon. Remove the flavouring vegetables but leave the basil and purée the tomatoes in a blender or food processor. (or leave the vegetables in the sauce if you prefer and blend). | 
