Cannelloni with Spinach and Ricotta

Serves 4
Prep Time 15mins
Cooking Time 45mins
Ingredients

• 12 dried cannelloni tubes, 7.5-cm/3-inches long
• Butter, for greasing

For the filling

• 140 g/5 oz lean ham, chopped
• 140 g/5 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
• 115 g/4 oz ricotta cheese
• 1 egg
• 3 tbsp freshly grated pecorino cheese
• pinch of freshly grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper

For the cheese sauce

• 600 ml/l pint milk
• 25 g/l oz unsalted butter
• 2 tbsp plain flour
• 85 g/3 oz freshly grated Gruyere cheese
• salt and pepper

Method

• Bring a large saucepan of lightly salted water to the boil.
• Add the cannelloni tubes, bring back to the boil and cook for 6-7 minutes, until nearly tender.
• Drain and rinse under cold water. Spread out the tubes on a clean tea towel.
• Put the ham, spinach and ricotta into a food processor and process for a few seconds until combined.
• Add the egg and pecorino and process again to a smooth paste.
• Scrape the filling into a bowl and season to taste with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
• Carefully open one cannelloni tube, stand it upright and pipe in the filling place the filled tube in the dish and continue to fill the remaining cannelloni.
• Transfer the cannelloni into a warmed ovenproof dish

To make the cheese sauce

• Heat the milk to just below boiling point.
• Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan.
• Add the flour to the butter and cook over a low heat, stirring constantly, for 1 minute.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat and gradually stir in the hot milk.
• Return the saucepan to the heat and bring to the boil, stirring constantly.
• Simmer over the lowest possible heat, stirring frequently, for 10 minutes, until thickened and smooth.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat, stir in the Gruyere and season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Spoon the cheese sauce over the filled cannelloni.
• Add a few baby tomatoes round the edge
• Cover the dish with foil and bake in a preheated oven, 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4, for 20-25 minutes.
• Serve immediately.

Shopping list

• Ham
• Frozen spinach
• Ricotta cheese
• Pecorino cheese
• Gruyere cheese
• Eggs
• Nutmeg
• Salt and pepper
• Milk
• Unsalted butter
• Plain flour
• Cannelloni tubes
• Baby tomatoes