In honor of my recent house guests from Germany, I decided to throw a small dinner party to send them off proper. With about 12 guests on the invite list, I needed to come up with a few fabulous recipes that could both impress and satisfy — but that wouldn’t break the bank either…
Here’s what I served:
Menu a la Bye-Bye Germans
-chilled roasted tomato and fennel soup
-Spring Cannelloni with a simple Marinara
-roasted asparagus
-spinach salad
-dark chocolate ice cream (home made!)
The Spring Cannelloni recipe was adapted from Bill Granger’s cookbook, bills food. It’s a genius recipe. It’s simple, yet delicious – and great to find a pasta dish that’s not too heavy. To be honest, I wondered why I hadn’t thought of stuffing lasagna noodles with my own yummy concoctions sooner. After I made this, I realized that in the future, I could experiment with any filling ingredients my heart desires.
My cooking is often inspired by recipes found in cookbooks, magazines, from friends, or online as a starting point for my own renditions…so please feel free to experiment, and enjoy!
Ingredients for Filling:
2 boxes lasagna
1 lb ricotta
1 package frozen peas, thawed
1 egg
Approximately 2 bunches fresh herbs – I used oregano, basil, and parsley – but feel free to improvise (in hindsight fresh marjoram would have been killer.)
zest of 2 lemons
1 c grated parmesan cheese
salt & pepper to taste
package of prosciutto, cut into long thin strips (1”), if they don’t already come that way.
NOTE: this recipe fills roughly 2 boxes of lasagna, which is admittedly A LOT of cannelloni. You can either feed a bunch of your friends – like I did – or freeze a tray to enjoy later in the week when you don’t have the time to cook yourself a proper meal! (I recently had some that had been frozen about 3 weeks, and they were still fantastic. No lie.)
To make Cannelloni:
Set a large pot 3/4 full of water (with a pinch of salt and a tbsp of olive oil) to boil on your stovetop.
Meanwhile, make the filling. I have a food processor, which I would recommend using. If you don’t have one, make sure you chop your herbs very, very fine, and mix thoroughly in a medium bowl.
In processor: add the ricotta, peas, egg, 2/3 of your fresh herbs, lemon zest, 2/3c of your parmesan (reserve last 1/3c), and salt & pepper to taste. Process mix until thoroughly combined. (I kept stopping to taste the mixture – adding a bit more salt, pepper, lemon or parm to taste – which I recommend!)
Once the water’s boiling, place the lasagna into the pot. Check on it after a few minutes, and try gently moving the noodles around, ensuring that they don’t stick together. The olive oil in the boiling water should help keep them separate. Now, fill a large bowl with very cold water next to your stovetop. Toss in 1 tbsp olive oil. Once the noodles are cooked (I cooked them a touch past al dente), carefully place them into the cold water bath so they cool quickly. I used a pair of rubber tongs. The trick is not to rip them when lifting them from pot to bowl.
Pre-heat oven to 350.
After 5 minutes or so, they’re most likely cool enough to roll. Clear yourself a large flat surface. Place a clean dishtowel down, and one by one, arrange the lasagna noodles in a row. Pat a second clean dishtowel down on top of them to dry the noodles completely. Now you’re ready to assemble!
Get 2 rectangular casserole dishes ready, and grease them with butter or olive oil. First, lay a strip of prosciutto onto each noodle. Using a nice wide spoon, spoon out a mound of ricotta/pea mix onto each piece, spreading it down the noodle from end to end. You want a nice layer, but not too thick or else it’ll be tough to roll up. Sprinkle a dusting of grated parmesan on each one. Now carefully pick up one end, and roll them right up, placing them into the casserole dish nice ‘n snug-like.
Continue with the above steps until the cannelloni are all assembled. Once they’re all sitting in their pans, feel free to brush the tops with melted butter for a decadent finish. Now bake for approximately 25 minutes, until they’re hot to the touch and starting to golden.
Ingredients for Marinara:
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves diced garlic
1 can diced tomatoes in their juices
remaining fresh herbs
1/4c sugar
While the pasta is baking, quickly whip up your marinara sauce: place a deep skillet over medium heat. Toss in your olive oil. When the pan’s nice and hot, add your diced garlic. Allow to cook for 2 minutes, until fragrant, then add your diced tomatoes. Stir to combine and heat through. Chop the remaining fresh herbs into a fine dice. Once the tomatoes are hot, add the sugar—this will cut the tomatoes’ natural acidity. Allow sugar a few seconds to incorporate, then stir in your remaining fresh herbs. Keep it on the heat for another 5 minutes or so, ensuring that all of the flavors mingle, and then set aside for service.
Once the cannelloni is cooked, top them with a small amount of the marinara, and sprinkle with a bit of extra parmesan. Voila!
This clever entrée is sure to be a hit for any dinner party affair – fancy or casual. It’s certainly got an air of sophistication, and nobody would guess how simple it really is to make.
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