In the beginning there was lasagne. Then the restless and inventive mind of the Italians rolled a sheet of lasagne into a tube to make it easy to stuff, and called “big pipes,” cannelloni in Italian. Probably something along these lines, in a fit of gastronomic passion, was how this type of pasta came to be. Inside it you can find spinach with ricotta, minced meat or chicken. Top the dish with tomato sauce and béchamel, scatter with cheese. And before us is a typical dish of Italian cuisine, from where it spread throughout the world and became famous. Delizioso!
In the beginning there was lasagne. Then the restless and inventive mind of the Italians rolled a sheet of lasagne into a tube to make it easy to stuff, and called “big pipes,” cannelloni in Italian. Probably something along these lines, in a fit of gastronomic passion, was how this type of pasta came to be. Inside it you can find spinach with ricotta, minced meat or chicken. Top the dish with tomato sauce and béchamel, scatter with cheese. And before us is a typical dish of Italian cuisine, from where it spread throughout the world and became famous. Delizioso!- Prep time: 1 hour 10 minutes
- Cook time: 25 minutes
- Serves: 4
- Difficulty: challenging
- Course: main course
- Cookware: baking dish, cheese grater, vegetable mill
- Cuisine: Italian
Ingredients
- 16 pcs cannelloni
- 50 g parmesan, grated
For the filling:
- 350 g feta
- 200 g spinach, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 30 g butter
- nutmeg, grated
- freshly ground black pepper
For the tomato sauce:
- 400 g canned peeled tomatoes
- ½ large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 50 ml red wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
For the béchamel sauce:
- 500 ml milk
- 30 g butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- ½ small onion, peeled and chopped
- ½ stick of celery
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 white peppercorns
- nutmeg, grated
- salt
Cooking method
Step 1
Cook the béchamel sauce. Pour milk into a saucepan, add onion, celery, bay leaf, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to boil, remove from heat, and set aside to infuse.
Step 2
Cook the filling. In a frying pan, lightly cook the onions and garlic in butter. Add spinach, stir, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to cool in a separate bowl. In a bowl, crush the feta, season with pepper and nutmeg, add spinach with onion and garlic. Mix and set aside.
Step 3
Cook the tomato sauce. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add garlic. Fry for a few minutes until the garlic gives off its flavour to the oil. Get the garlic out. Add onion to a saucepan and fry lightly. Pour in the wine and simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve or blitz with a blender. Season with salt and thyme. Bring to boil, remove from heat and set aside.
Step 4
Put a wide pot with water on high heat, add salt and bring to boil. Put a large bowl with cold water nearby (you can add ice to the water). Dip cannelloni one by one in boiling water for 3 minutes. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and place a sheet in a bowl of cold water. After the cannelloni have cooled, pat dry on a kitchen paper.
Step 5
Strain the milk for the béchamel sauce through a sieve. Set the milk aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over. Stirring with a spatula, gradually add flour. Without stopping stirring, cook the mixture until light golden brown and nutty in the aroma (the mixture should not turn brown). Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stirring constantly, gradually add the milk to avoid the lumps, and whisk until even. Return the saucepan to low heat, and stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil. Remove from heat, and set aside.
Step 6
Heat oven to 180°C. Using a teaspoon, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni, stuffing the tubes at both ends. You do not need to fill the cannelloni very tightly, otherwise they may burst during cooking. Spread the tomato sauce into a high-sided baking dish, lay the cannelloni, top with the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.
My tips and tricks:
If your béchamel turned out with lumps, do not give up: the problem can be very easily fixed. We take a sieve, strain the sauce through it and enjoy the result. The sauce will be lump-free, smooth and even, as required for our dish.
- 16 pcs cannelloni
- 50 g parmesan, grated
- For the filling:
- 350 g feta
- 200 g spinach, finely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
- 30 g butter
- nutmeg, grated
- freshly ground black pepper
- For the tomato sauce:
- 400 g canned peeled tomatoes
- ½ large onion, peeled and coarsely chopped
- 2 cloves of garlic, peeled and halved
- 1 sprig of thyme
- 50 ml red wine
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- For the béchamel sauce:
- 500 ml milk
- 30 g butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- ½ small onion, peeled and chopped
- ½ stick of celery
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 white peppercorns
- nutmeg, grated
- salt
- Cook the béchamel sauce. Pour milk into a saucepan, add onion, celery, bay leaf, white pepper, nutmeg, and salt. Bring to boil, remove from heat, and set aside to infuse.
- Cook the filling. In a frying pan, lightly cook the onions and garlic in butter. Add spinach, stir, and simmer for 1 minute. Remove from heat and transfer to cool in a separate bowl. In a bowl, crush the feta, season with pepper and nutmeg, add spinach with onion and garlic. Mix and set aside.
- Cook the tomato sauce. Heat olive oil in a saucepan, add garlic. Fry for a few minutes until the garlic gives off its flavour to the oil. Get the garlic out. Add onion to a saucepan and fry lightly. Pour in the wine and simmer it for 2-3 minutes. Add tomatoes. Bring to boil and simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the sauce through a sieve or blitz with a blender. Season with salt and thyme. Bring to boil, remove from heat and set aside.
- Put a wide pot with water on high heat, add salt and bring to boil. Put a large bowl with cold water nearby (you can add ice to the water). Dip cannelloni one by one in boiling water for 3 minutes. Gently remove with a slotted spoon and place a sheet in a bowl of cold water. After the cannelloni have cooled, pat dry on a kitchen paper.
- Strain the milk for the béchamel sauce through a sieve. Set the milk aside. Melt butter in a saucepan over. Stirring with a spatula, gradually add flour. Without stopping stirring, cook the mixture until light golden brown and nutty in the aroma (the mixture should not turn brown). Remove the saucepan from the heat. Stirring constantly, gradually add the milk to avoid the lumps, and whisk until even. Return the saucepan to low heat, and stirring constantly, bring the sauce to a boil. Remove from heat, and set aside.
- Heat oven to 180°C. Using a teaspoon, squeeze the filling into the cannelloni, stuffing the tubes at both ends. You do not need to fill the cannelloni very tightly, otherwise they may burst during cooking. Spread the tomato sauce into a high-sided baking dish, lay the cannelloni, top with the béchamel sauce and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.