Leek and Ricotta Cannelloni

This is my final week* of working the late shift at work.  The working pattern hasn't actually been too bad but getting home late, eating and then trying to find a bit of time to unwind before going to bed has proven to be difficult.  My nights have been getting later and R has still been getting up at 6am, so I'm lacking a fair amount of beauty sleep.  I have been spending my mornings catching up on housework, that would normally be done in the evenings, and trying to sort out the finances for Beeston Festival.  Today however, I found myself with some spare time.

Along with not getting to spending much quality time with R, the other thing I have really missed while working late, is cooking.  Not only do I love cooking for people, I also find the process to be really relaxing and the perfect way to wind down, so with some time on my hands I rolled up my sleeves and used as many pans and utensils as was possible.

Making cannelloni is a time consuming yet rewarding exercise.  I am sure that there are short cuts but
I didn't take any today.  I started by making the filling and the tomato sauce.  The tomato sauce is not much more than a seasoned tin of tomatoes with softened onions, garlic and dried basil.  After simmering for five to ten minutes I took a hand blender to the sauce and removed the lumps.

The filling was equally simple.  I softened a shredded leek in olive oil with garlic and a couple of teaspoons of lemon thyme.  Once this was cooked I let it go completely cold before stirring through a tub of riccotta.  I then spooned the mixture into eight cannelloni tubes covered them in the tomato sauce, some mozzarella and parmeasan.  At that stage I stopped and went to work with the dish ready for Z to put in the oven when she got in from work.

When it finally came out of the oven it looked a treat.  I'm glad to say that it tasted as good as it looked.  The only thing I would change next time was adding a bit more salt in the filling, as when cooked the ricotta masked the other flavours.  I had also considered adding pine nuts to the filling mixture, this would have turned tonight's meal from a really good meal into a great one.

*for now.

Fusilli with Bacon and Leeks

Scratching around in our cavernous fridge and our usually well stocked store cupboards last night, and again this morning, left us completely uninspired.  We simply couldn't fathom what we could cook from what food we already had.  The miserable weather conditions that we woke to were the muse that I was lacking.  I wanted a hug on a plate.  It was then I remembered a small packet of bacon nestled in the freezer and my food cogs started whirring.

Z scurried to the cellar to save the bacon and arrived back in the kitchen clutching a small amount of chicken.  I must remember to label frozen food stuffs better!  By now we both had our hearts set on an unctuous bowl of pasta, so Z braved the rain on her way home from work just to get some bacon.

The bacon was fried off with a finely shredded leek, some thyme and plenty of black pepper.  A glug of cream was poured in before cooked pasta was added to the sauce.  The dish was finished off with a hand full of parsley, some more black pepper and topped with parmesan cheese.

Leek and Blue Cheese Cannelloni

Following Thursdays cheese tasting I find myself with a surfeit of blue cheese. 

Oh no, I hear you cry.  Well yes.  I am only human and I try (even in the season of over eating) to maintain a healthy food regime.  This means that my meals are one course, not two or three, unless it's a special occasion.  The cheese board will have to wait for an other day.  Unlike cheddars or more generic cheese that our beloved chain-stores like to peddle on us, blue cheese does not lend it's self to the sarni, so lunching my way out of this glut is out of the question.

Fortunately, this is the season of the leek.  It is also the season of the-mound-of-steaming-hot-food straight from the oven.  Leeks are on my to grow list, so for the time being I'll trust in green grocers.  The combination of leek and blue cheese is wonderful.  The addition of ricotta, garlic and thyme, creates a marriage made in oven.

The cheese was added to softened leeks and spooned into the cannelloni shells.  A layer of tomato sauce as the base and a bechamel top make for a glorious baked pasta dish.