Cheat's leek and ricotta cannelloni

A really really easy way to make pretend cannelloni without the impossible-to-find pasta and piping tubes.  A seriously impressive showy-off main course, for any up and coming come dine with me cook-offs (yes, we all do them).

 

 

You'll need:

 

 

For the cheese sauce:

40g butter

40g flour

100g cheddar cheese (grated)

Salt and pepper to season (although with the amount of cheese I doubt you'll need much salt, if any)

200ml (or thereabouts) of milk.

For the tomato sauce:

1 tin of chopped tomatoes in their juice

1/2 tube of tomato puree ( or about half a jar of sundried tomato paste if you're feeling an extra boost of flavour)

Half an onion

A crushed garlic clove

A good lug of olive oil

A splash of balsamic vinegar

A pinch of sugar

Salt and pepper to season

For the pasta and filling:

Lasagne sheets

250g tub of ricotta cheese

3 Leeks

2 cloves of garlic

Zest of half a lemon

Salt and pepper to taste

A knob (hehe) of butter

Preheat your oven to about 180 degrees.

 

Firstly prepare the leeks by cutting them in half lengthways then thinly slicing them from the bottom of the leek to the top. 

 

In a large pan, melt the butter on a medium heat and crush the garlic in (being careful not to burn it - burnt garlic is one of the worst tastes in the world) then throw in the chopped leak, stirring occasionally.

 

For the tomato sauce, get a medium sized pan, on a medium heat, and crush in another garlic clove (with the olive oil), dice the onion and whack in in too.  When the onions are see-through (but not brown!), throw in all of the other ingredients and give a good stir, leave to simmer on a low heat.

 

At this point, put a pan of water to boil, with some olive oil.

 

Go back to your leek mixture and add the ricotta and lemon zest. Season and take off the heat and transfer to a bowl.  Wash the pan - you'll need it for the cheese sauce.

 

For the cheese sauce, melt the butter on a medium heat, add the flour and stir to get a smooth paste.  Gradually add the milk, bit by bit as the sauce continues to thicken (I use a whisk by this stage to avoid lumps).  Once all the milk is in, add the cheese and stir continuously.  Season.  How does it taste? More cheese? More pepper? You decide!

 

Spoon your tomato mixture onto the bottom of a big roasting dish.

 

Get one lasagne sheet and drop into the boiling water (most sheets will go floppy in seconds), fish it out (using a spatula or something - anything!).  On a clean surface, spoon the ricotta mixture in a line on the short end and roll it up.  Carefully place (seam-down) onto the tomato sauce mix.  Repeat until your tray is full (usually after 4 or 5 depending on size).  Cover with the cheese sauce.  If you're feeling super cheesy, grate some on top.

 

Put in the oven and leave for 15-20 minutes (or until golden brown on top).

 

De-lish

 

Love H x

 

Pin It Now!