Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Crepes

 

I am still trying to slip vegetarian meals into our weekly menu's. Italian food and anything with cheese is usually a winner. I made these delicious cannelloni crepes last night, an instant hit and something I think we will be eating quiet a bit of. It seems like a lot of steps and fussing about but it's not at all, it was really easy and the recipe was foolproof.

The recipe is from "A little bit of this, A little bit of that" The beautiful cookbook by Isabella and Sofia Bliss with Sylvana Spina and Nonna Spina.

There is a meat variation in the book, Chicken and Leek Cannelloni Crepes, I might try that one soon.





Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni Crepes

cannelloni di ricotta e spinaci

serves 4-6

for the tomato sauce

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 1 x 400 gram tinned diced tomatoes
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• salt and pepper
• 6 basil leaves (torn)

for the filling

• 60 grams baby spinach leaves (blanched and finely chopped)
• 250 grams ricotta cheese (mashed)
• 1 clove garlic (finely chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon  nutmeg
• 1 egg
• salt and pepper 

for the crepes

• 150 grams plain flour
• 500 ml milk
• 3 eggs
• pinch of salt

• butter or oil (for frying)
• 125 ml cream (for baking)
• 2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese (to serve)

Preheat the oven to 220 degrees. Lightly grease a lasagne dish with oil.

To make the tomato sauce: Heat the oil in a medium saucepan and add the garlic, tomatoes and sugar. Season to taste. Bring to the boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Allow to simmer while you prepare the filling and cook the crepes. Check and stir the sauce regularly, adding a little bit of water if needed. Stir the torn basil into the sauce when it has finished cooking.

To make the filling: Put all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well. Set aside.

To make the crepes: Sift the flour into a bowl. In a jug, mix the milk, eggs and salt. Gradually add the milk mixture to the flour. Whisk continuously to make a smooth runny batter. Heat the butter in a large frying pan. Add about 2 tablespoons of the mixture to the centre of the pan, swirl the pan so the batter covers the base to make a large crepe (17-20 cm in diameter) Cook until the bottom of the crepe is golden brown, flip the crepe and cook for a further minute. Set aside and make the remaining crepes (you should get about 10-12 crepes)

To prepare the cannelloni: Place a crepe onto a plate or cutting board and place about 1 tablespoon of mixture down the centre of the crepe. Roll up the crepe and put it into the lasagne dish, edge side down. Repeat with all of the crepes. Spoon the tomato sauce over the cannelloni, just to cover, then drizzle the cream over the sauce. Bake in the oven for 20 minutes. Sprinkle the cannelloni with the grated parmesan cheese and serve.