mushroom spinach ricotta cannelloni in a white wine bechamel

Primo course portion of a dinner party - making this dish for five people and making three cannelloni per person

350F 45 minutes-ish

INGREDIENTS

12-14 cannelloni tubes

2 cloves garlic minced 

1/2 onion diced 
500g Mushrooms (using baby bells)
800g spinach - blanched (86’d for the dinner)

400g ricotta

300g fresh mozzarella cubed 
200g pecorino romano
2 egg 

serval microplane nutmeg
fresh herbs: oregano, basil 
1/2 - 1 tsp kosher salt  

PREPARATION

To begin, slice the mushrooms thinly and sauté in a hot pan pan with a dash of olive oil. 

Deglaze the pan with the whit wine and continue cooking until the mushrooms have softened. Season and allow to cool.

Blanch the spinach in boiling salted water and cool in iced water. 

Squeeze out as much water as possible then finely chop

Mix the cooled mushrooms with half of the chopped spinach, the grated pecorino, mozzarella and ricotta. 

Season with salt, fresh herbs and grated fresh nutmeg to taste. 

Place inside a piping bag and cut to the size of the tubes.

TIME TO STUFF

Holding the cannelloni tubes in the palm of your hand take the piping bag to open one end and fill the tube mixture. 

Once all the tubes are filled, place in an oiled baking dish with the 1/3 f the white wine sauce in the bottom of the pan and make sure there is enough space between the tubes. 

The tubes should not touch and since we are baking raw/dried shells the sauce will be wet. 

WHITE WINE BECHAMEL SAUCE

3 -5 TB oil or butter

1 TB flour

2 tsp garlic minced

1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes 

4-8 grates of nutmeg

1/2 cup white wine 

1 tsp salt 

4 cups liquid - milk, alt milk, broth, water

120g cheese - pecorino, parmesan, cheddar, jarlsberg depending on style of dish

In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium low heat and add the flour to cook a few minutes - watch this the entire time.

Next add the garlic, shallot, red pepper flakes and sauté for 1 minute and stir until fragrant.

Add white wine and cook on a low simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
Add the and cream, cheese and salt and whisk until it melts. 

Taste and adjust salt if needed.

NOTE: i held the baked cannelloni for 45 minutes in a warm setting on the oven and the sauce dried out. DO NOT HOLD for too long. 

SALAD DRESSING FOR DINNER 

3 cloves garlic rough chopped
2 TB Dijon mustard
2 TB vinegar - i used 1 TB balsamic/ 1 TB apple cider vinegar

1/2  lemon juiced
2 tsp honey
1 cup extra virgin olive oil

2 TB Italian parsley -can add basil, oregano, thyme, mint etc. 

Place everything but the fresh herbs in the blender and blend to combine and become smooth. once the dressing creamy add in the fresh herbs and blend till the herbs are tiny. 

SALAD FOR DINNER 

Butternut squash - roasted and seasoned as desired (350F 35-40 minutes)

kale - destemmed and massaged with a tiny bit of oil and salt 

arugula

pickled onions lightly (1/2 onion,1 TB sugar, 2TB water, 2 TB vinegar, pinch of salt)

gorgonzola crumbled 

DINNER MENU - end of summer 2023 with MJFAM:

Aperitvio: blackberry-ginger shrub & strawberry- basil shrub

Anitpasta: meat/cheese/caprese salad with fresh baked baguette 

Primo: mushroom ricotta cannello

Secondo: herb porchetta with roasted potatoes, grilled lobster tails, polenta, kale-squash gorgonzola salad

Dolce: orange chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream