Canneloni Flavor Over Spinach Fettuccine Recipes

SPINACH RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add garlic and onion, cook for 2 - 3 minutes until translucent. Add tomato, water, salt and pepper.
• Stir, reduce heat to medium, simmer for 5 minutes. Optional: add 1/2 cup water and blend sauce until smooth (I do this for guests!).
• Stir through basil or dried herbs. Set aside.
• Place spinach in a colander and press out most of the liquid (don't need to thoroughly squeeze dry).
• Place Spinach in bowl with remaining Filling ingredients. Mix, taste, adjust salt and pepper to taste (different cheeses have different saltiness).
• Preheat oven to 180C/350F.
• Choose a baking pan which will comfortably fit about 20 cannelloni - mine is 21 x 26 cm / 8.5 x 10.5".
• Spread a bit of Sauce on the base.
• Transfer Filling to a piping bag with a large nozzle (that fits in the tubes), or use a strong ziplock bag. Or do this step using a knife (it's a bit tedious though!).
• Pipe the filling into the tubes. Place in baking dish.
• Pour over remaining Sauce, covering all the tubes. Cover with foil, then bake for 25 minutes.
• Remove foil, scatter over cheese. Return to oven for 10 minutes until cheese is melted.
• Serve, garnished with extra basil if desired.

ITALIAN SAUSAGE, SPINACH, AND RICOTTA CANNELLONI

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat and saute the onion until fragrant and translucent. Add the Italian sausage meat, breaking it up with the back of a wooden spoon and brown it until no longer pink, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drain the excess fat from the sausage meat, and set aside to cool. In a large mixing bowl stir together the drained and squeeze-dried spinach, ricotta, 1 1/2 cups Parmesan, eggs, cooled Italian sausage and onion mixture, salt, and freshly ground black pepper, to taste. Place the oven rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook the fresh pasta rectangles for 1 minute and remove with a slotted spatula. Set aside. In a 9 by 13-inch baking dish, spread 2 cups tomato sauce. Working with 1 pasta rectangle at a time, spread 6 tablespoons filling along one edge and roll the pasta sheet up tightly, leaving the ends open. Repeat until you have 8 cannelloni. Arrange the prepared cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer in the baking dish. Spoon the remaining 2 cups tomato sauce evenly over the cannelloni. Sprinkle the remaining 1/2 cup grated Parmesan over top. Bake the cannelloni for 20 minutes and let it stand for 10 minutes before serving. Serve the cannelloni with extra tomato sauce from the baking dish and garnish with fresh basil.
• To make fresh pasta dough: Mound the flour on a clean work surface. Hollow out the center making a well in the middle of the flour with steep sides. Break the eggs into the well. Add the salt, and olive oil to the hollow center and gently mix together with a fork. Gradually start incorporating the flour by pulling in the flour from the sides of the well. As you incorporate more of the flour, the dough will start to take shape. With your hands or a bench scraper continue working the dough until it comes together. If the dough is too dry, add a little water; if too wet or sticky, add a little flour. Begin kneading the dough and keep kneading until it becomes smooth and elastic, about 8 to 10 minutes. At this point, set the dough aside, cover it with plastic, and let it rest for 15 to 20 minutes. You can store the dough in the refrigerator for up to 24 hours, but allow it to return to room temperature before rolling it out. Divide the pasta dough into 4 even sections. Keep each section covered with plastic wrap or a clean towel while you work with each one. Flour the dough, the rollers of a pasta roller (or your rolling pin), your hands, and the work surface. If using a pasta machine: Flatten 1 of the of the dough pieces between your hands or with a floured rolling pin until it forms a thick oval disk. Dust the disk, the roller, and your hands with additional flour. Flour a baking sheet to hold the rolled out finished pasta. With the roller on the widest setting, pass the pasta through the machine's rollers a few times until it is smooth. Fold the dough over into 1/3, and continue to pass through a few more times until the pasta is smooth again. Begin adjusting the pasta machine settings to become thinner, passing the dough through a few times at each setting. If rolling the pasta by hand: Flatten a dough piece into a thick oval disk with your hands. Flour a baking sheet for the rolled out finished pasta. Place the oval dough disk on a floured work surface, and sprinkle with additional flour. Begin rolling out the dough with a floured rolling pin working from the center of the dough outwards, constantly moving the dough and lifting it to make sure it's not sticking.
• To make Simple Tomato Sauce: In a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, and garlic and cook until soft and golden brown. Add the basil and cook for an additional 3 to 5 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes with their juices and bring to a boil, stirring often. Lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until the sauce has thickened. With a potato masher, break up the tomatoes to achieve a sauce-like consistency. Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper and serve. Cook's Note: Tomato sauce will last 1 week in the refrigerator and up to 6 months in the freezer.

SPINACH FETTUCCINE WITH CLAM-BUTTER SAUCE AND DICED TOMATOES

Steps:

• Cook linguine according to package directions.
• Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and cook 3 minutes, until soft. Add thyme and oregano and cook 1 minute, until fragrant. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Add linguine and clams and simmer 3 minutes, until heated through. Stir in tomatoes and basil and season, to taste, with salt and black pepper.
• Transfer to a serving platter and top with Parmesan.

SPINACH FETTUCCINE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND LEMON THYME

Steps:

• Melt butter and oil in a large saute pan and add onions. Cook covered over gentle heat for 40 minutes to one hour, until the onions are a deep golden brown. You may need to add water or stock to prevent the onions from burning. Stir in the fresh thyme, and toss with the pasta. Serve Yield: 4 servings
• TIP: PEELING PEARL ONIONS
• Add make an x in the bottom of your pearl onions, place in a bowl add 1/3 of a cup of water and cover and microwave for 1 to 2 minutes. You can peel them easily when slightly cooled.

SPINACH FETTUCCINI WITH GORGONZOLA CREAM SAUCE

Steps:

• Heat water to a boil for pasta, salt water and cook pasta to al dente.
• Heat butter in a large sauce pot with butter, add garlic, cook 2 minutes then whisk in flour, cook 1 minute. Whisk in stock then cream, bring to a bubble and stir in Gorgonzola, about 2 minutes until melted. Stir in sage and a little pepper and cook 3 minutes more.
• In a serving bowl toss hot pasta with sauce and fresh spinach to wilt in.

ASPARAGUS CANNELONI WITH CHANTERELLES AND WILTED SPINACH

Steps:

• Heat a heavy saucepan. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sweat the shallots and garlic until translucent. Add 1/2 of the asparagus scraps and deglaze with vermouth. Reduce to dry and add the chicken stock. Reduce by 3/4 and place in a blender. Add remaining asparagus scraps and blend. Add olive oil in a slow, steady stream and finish with spinach. Season and strain. Keep at room temperature.
• Blanch the asparagus and chill. Drain well and reserve on a cloth. Place 2 by 3 squares of blanched pasta on a surface dusted with grated Parmigiano. Place trimmed asparagus on pasta and roll tightly. About 1 1/2 inches of the tip of the asparagus should be exposed. Repeat process and group the asparagus cannelloni in 3's. Cover exposed end with tin foil and brush pasta liberally with melted butter. Add additional cheese. Keep refrigerated until needed.
• Heat a saute pan with olive oil and cook chanterelles, then add garlic puree and spinach. Wilt spinach and season. Gratin cannelloni under broiler until golden brown. Remove foil and place cannelloni on bed of spinach. Drizzle sauce around and arrange mushrooms around. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Garnish with chervil. Serve hot.

GREEN CANNELONI STUFFED WITH RICOTTA CHEESE AND SPINACH

Steps:

• Cut pasta into 5-inch squares and parboil in water for a minute or a minute and a half. Transfer to a bowl of cold water. Spread in one layer over cloth towels. Make Bechamel Sauce: Melt butter, stir in flour and add milk slowly. Heat until mixture thickens. Set aside. Make Spinach: Parboil spinach leaves until just wilted. Drain. Cool and squeeze out moisture and chop. Saute 1/3 cup minced shallots in 2 tablespoons butter. Add parboiled spinach and saute gently until spinach has absorbed butter. Season with salt and pepper. Make Ricotta Filling: Blend ricotta cheese with parmesan. Add eggs and egg yolks and spinach filling. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. To assemble: Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Butter a large gratin dish or two smaller ones. (Canneloni are baked in a single layer, snuggly set-in but not overlapping). Spoon some filling down the center of a parboiled pasta square, spread to 1/2-inch of edges, roll up and transfer, seam side down to the gratin dish. Ladle Bechamel over top and sprinkle with 1/3 cup grated Parmesan. Dot with 4 tablespoons chilled cubed butter and bake on upper center rack of oven for 15 minutes or until bubbling. Let stand 15 minutes before serving. Can serve with extra grated Parmesan.

SPINACH FETTUCCINE WITH CARAMELIZED ONIONS AND LEMON THYME

Steps:

• Melt butter and oil in a large saute pan and add onions. Cook covered over gentle heat for 40 minutes to one hour, until the onions are a deep golden brown. You may need to add water or stock to prevent the onions from burning. Stir in the fresh thyme, and toss with the pasta. Serve.