Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni
Last night for dinner, we had Ricotta and Spinach Cannelloni, or Ive been advised that you might know it as Manicotti. I didnt make the cannelloni from scratch because I have a couple of fresh pasta places close to me and I usually get fresh canneloni from one of the places.
I normally buy my cannelloni from one shop, which is run by a mid-aged Italian lady. She comes from northern Italy. Her cannelloni is so good that I've given up making the filling and rolling it myself. It's all about the filling - and the north Italian lady has a decent amount of spinach to the ricotta and nice seasoning. She tells me to cook it in the oven with tomato sauce for about 30 - 40 minutes. We really like her cannelloni.
The cannelloni I bought today was from a shop that is run by two Italian nona's. Literally. They must be in their '70s. I've never asked them but from their complexion, I suspect that they are southern Italian. It's the first time I'm trying their cannelloni. I normally buy their gnocchi and pasta. But because it was convenient and DS really wanted cannelloni for dinner, I stopped by this shop because it was on the way home instead of going to the other one.
The ladies there told me to boil the cannelloni for 20 minutes before putting it in the over with tomato sauce for 20 minutes. I asked if I could just put it in the oven without boiling it but she was most insistent that I needed to boil it first.
Im going to ignore them.
The cannelloni from this shop is a little different. It doesnt look like it has the balance of spinach to ricotta that I like; plus the nonas have coated the pasta with what looks like polenta.
My starting ingredients:
(no pictures sorry!)
- Cannelloni, spinach and ricotta, 6
- Tomato pasta sauce about 500 ml, watered down a little
- Cheese, 1 cup
- Butter, 75 g
- Plain flour, 2 tablespoon
- Milk, 1 cup
I had some pasta sauce in the freezer that I keep for just in cases, so I used it for the meal.
I started with a layer of tomato sauce at the bottom and then placed the cannelloni on top.
Then I completely smothered the cannelloni with more sauce.
I made some bechamel sauce by melting the butter and cooking the flour first; followed by then slowly adding the milk and mixing it until smooth. I allowed the mixture to thicken before turning off the heat. Add the cheese and stir until mixed. Season to taste.
I then poured the whole lot over the dish.
And because DS likes a little pasta with his cheese, I put a little bit more cheese on top.
Here's what it looked like out of the oven.
Cabbage and Bacon on the Side
I decided to serve the cannelloni with cabbage and bacon as a side instead of salad last night. I had some cabbage left in the fridge and thought it was time to finish it off.
DH is vegetarian; so I cooked the cabbage separately with some garlic and ginger.
DS and I are completely omnivorous; so I fried the bacon in a separate pan.
I put enough of the cabbage with the bacon for two serves
and mixed it all together.
My dinner! Worked just great being baked for a longer time rather than boiled and then baked.
And just before I scoffed the whole lot up....a look at how the cannelloni turned out.
And yes it does, but it is our bloob and all is well.
Also thanks so much for all of the PM's I will respond shortly.
YAY!!! What a fantastic update!! 
I am glad God still thinks we are worthy
I am just looking for something different other than plain veggies every night. I am horrible at planning sides!
We are going to hang large canvas paintings, art gallery style, floor to ceiling. Er, as much as we can afford. Do a mix of cheap mass produced paintings and a mix of real paintings from my Uncle.
I'll send you a PM in a bit.
Long curly hair and humidity 
