Inspired by Michelle’s Veg Wednesday posts …

canneloni collage

I borrowed out from the library the dvd of Jamie at Home, and just love it!  I’ve never been a particular Jamie fan, but admire that he makes cooking and good food accessible and has probably educated lots of younger people about being discerning about what to cook and eat.  This series is delightful in that it is set around cooking produce from the garden, so abounds in gorgeous garden settings, abundant fresh produce and lovely homey/vintage styling.  I love that the food is all relatively easy to prepare at home.  One thing that I just had to try was a cannelloni dish of cauliflower and broccoli.  It would probably be best to consult the book or dvd for the actual recipe, but this is what I contrived to make based on Jamie’s one.  I just loved that he used purchased passata and creme fraiche instead of bechamel, making this seem do-able even if you are feeling pressed for time.

Cauliflower and Broccoli Cannelloni a la Jamie

  • 1 small head cauliflower
  • 1 small head broccoli
  • a dash of olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic (Jamie finely sliced it but I crushed it)
  • chilli (I used 2 tsp sambal olek)
  • thyme (a few sprigs)
  • 2 anchovies
  • 1 pk cannelloni shells
  • 1 bottle Italian sugo/sauce
  • dash red wine vinegar
  • salt
  • 300mls creme fraiche (I actually used sour cream)
  • parmesan cheese, grated
  • mozzarella to top (I used sliced bocconcini)

Break cauli and broccoli into florets and chop stems, then steam until tender.

Heat oil in a pan and add garlic, thyme leaves, chilli and anchovies.  Stir but don’t let them brown too much.  Anchovy should break up.  Toss in steamed veges and mix until coated.  Continue to cook down until soft.  (I added a bit of water to the pan so it wouldn’t catch).  Add salt and pepper and cool.

Pour about a cm of sugo into a baking dish and add salt and a dash of red wine vinegar and mix in.  Stuff cannelloni shells with vege mixture and add to dish.  (Jamie put the mixture in a plastic bag, cut off the corner and piped it in, but I had trouble with this and got in a bit of a mess – I think three hands are required, or some mechanism for holding the cannelloni shell!)

Add a goodly amount of grated parmesan to the creme fraiche and mix in.  It is meant to replace bechamel sauce so should be fairly cheesy.  Spread over dish.

Top with more grated parmesan and torn mozzarella, and bake in moderate oven until golden and bubbling.

(I think Jamie might have added some basil leaves in there somewhere)

 

I love how vegetables generally considered unattractive can be transformed by different cooking methods.

And because there hasn’t been a baby photo posted for a while …

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babies in hand knits! (including red hoodie made by Michelle for Rex)