Spinach & ricotta cannelloni

Ingredients

• 400 g spinach
• extra-virgin olive oil
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 x 400 g tins of quality plum tomatoes
• 1 bay leaf
• ½ a bunch of fresh basil , (15g)
• ½ a lemon
• 1 large free-range egg
• Parmesan cheese
• 250 g ricotta
• 150 g cannelloni , about 14 tubes
• 2 x 125 g mozzarella balls

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C/350°F/gas 4.
2. Cook the spinach and a drizzle of olive oil in a large pan over a low heat. Add the nutmeg, season with salt and pepper, cover . Place in a sieve to drain into a bowl and set to one side to cool.
3. Dice the onion and cook in a drizzle of olive oil. until soft. Put aside
4. Make tomato sauce. Break apart the canned tomatoes in the pan and add crushed garlic and bay leaf. Pick in a few basil leaves and grate in the zest of the lemon half, then let it gently simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce has thickened. Season with salt and pepper.
5. Squeeze the moisture out of the spinach into the bowl. Chop the spinach on a board so you can chop it up. Return the spinach to the liquid in the bowl.
6. Beat the egg and grate 2 teaspoons of Parmesan cheese. Stir the ricotta, egg and Parmesan into the spinach. Season to taste.
7. Spoon in the spinach mixture into the cannelloni shells. Lay them in a 20cm x 25cm oven dish.
8. Spread the tomato sauce over the cannelloni. Pick the remaining basil leaves and scatter most of them over the tomato sauce. Slice the mozzarella and lay the slices on top, drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and season.
9. Place in the oven and cook for 35 to 40 minutes or till the top is golden and the pasta tender (if the top browns too fast, cover the dish with foil). Remove from the oven and let stand for a few minutes before serving with the remaining basil leaves.