ELIA’S SPINACH AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

We are lucky enough to have our very own in-house Italian chef serving up delicious meals for our residents. This month Elia shows us how he prepares spinach and ricotta cannelloni which is a favourite with clean plates at the end of every meal. Doesn’t it look delicious?

Serves: 16

Ingredients

For the filling:

• Spinach 700g
• Ricotta cheese 350g
• Parmesan to taste
• Olive oil
• Garlic cloves x 2

For the bechamel sauce:

• Whole milk 250g
• Butter 25g
• Flour 25g
• Fine salt 1 pinch
• Black pepper
• Nutmeg to taste

Cannelloni tubes

• Flour 300g
• Eggs x 3

Method

Put the flour and the eggs in a large bowl and knead with your hands until you obtain a uniform mixture. Transfer to a work surface and knead until you get a smooth dough that is circular in shape, cover with cling film and leave to rest for an hour. In the meantime, pour a drizzle of olive oil into a pan and add the garlic, let it brown and add the spinach leaf and season with salt and pepper. Cook on medium heat for 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally. 

During this time make the bechamel sauce. Add the butter to a pan and let it melt then add the flour and combine quickly with a whisk. Once you have obtained a slightly brown roux, pour in the hot milk and continue to stir, season with salt and pepper and add a pinch of nutmeg. It should start to thicken but you should continue to mix and when ready transfer to a bowl and cover. Now you can make the filling. Leave the spinach to cool down and then add the ricotta cheese and mix all together season with salt and pepper. 

The egg pasta will have rested enough at this point, so take the dough and divide it in half. Then roll the two halves out using a rolling pin to obtain a thickness of 1-2mm. Cut the pasta into 16 rectangles. Blanch each rectangle of pasta at a time for 1 minute in plenty of salted water and transfer them to a tray. Place the filling on the shortest part of the pasta then roll them up. Once the cannelloni are filled, spread a little béchamel on the bottom of a baking pan and add the cannelloni next to each other, cover with the remaining sauce and sprinkle the surface with parmesan cheese. Cook in a preheated oven 180 for 15 minutes until golden brown. 

Nutritional values per serving 100g

• Kcal: 146
• Fat: 7.80g
• Carbs: 1200g
• Fibre: 1.6g
• Protein: 6.20g
• Salt: 1.40g

We can’t wait to share more of Elia’s recipes on our new blog series, Elia’s Kitchen.

With freshly cooked wholesome meals and a fully qualified and experienced friendly team of carers, you can be assured Birchwood will look after your loved ones with dignity, respect, and warmth.