INGREDIENTS
For the cannelloni
1 tbsp oil
500g (1lb 2oz) cooked spinach
250g (9oz) ricotta cheese
1 egg, beaten
60g (2oz) Parmesan cheese, grated freshly grated nutmeg salt and freshly ground black pepper
16 cannelloni tubes
For the Napoli sauce
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small red onion, finely chopped
1 celery stick, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, crushed
400g (14oz) can chopped tomatoes
75ml (2½fl oz) vegetable stock
1 handful of basil leaves, torn
For the béchamel sauce
1 small onion, halved
4 cloves
600ml (1pt) milk
1 bay leaf
50g (2oz) butter
50g (2oz) flour salt and freshly ground white pepper freshly grated nutmeg
Method
- Lightly oil a rectangular baking dish. Drain the spinach, squeeze out any extra water, then chop roughly. Mix the ricotta with the beaten egg and half the Parmesan. Stir in the spinach, then season to taste with nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Spoon the filling into the cannelloni tubes and put them side by side in the baking dish.
- To make the Napoli sauce, heat the oil in a saucepan and fry the onion for 5–6 minutes. Add the celery and garlic, cook for 2 minutes, then stir in the tomatoes and stock and simmer for 15 minutes until the vegetables are soft and the sauce has reduced a little. Stir in the basil.
- In the meantime, make the béchamel sauce. Pierce the onion with the cloves and put in a saucepan with the milk and the bay leaf. Heat the milk almost to boiling point, then leave to infuse for 3–4 minutes on a very low heat.
- In a second saucepan, melt the butter on a low heat. Sweat the flour in the butter for 30 seconds and take the pan off the cooker. Pour the infused milk through a sieve into the butter-and-flour mixture, stirring vigorously while you do so until the sauce is smooth. Then, on a medium heat and stirring continuously, bring the sauce to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for another 5 minutes until thick and shiny. Season with salt, pepper, and nutmeg.
- Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F/Gas 5). Pour the béchamel sauce over the cannelloni, then spoon the Napoli sauce on top, and sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan. Bake in the hot oven for 35 minutes until the top is golden and bubbling and the cannelloni are cooked through.