Ingredients:

Olive oil      1 tbsp.
Onion, peeled and chopped       1
2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped        2
Chopped fresh basil        1 tbsp.
Dried marjoram     1/2 tsp.
Freshly ground black pepper
Tinned peeled tomatoes     14 oz.
Tomato purée      1 tbsp.
Fresh spinach, washed and trimmed       9 oz.
Ricotta or curd cheese      3 oz.
Cottage cheese      4 oz.
Freshly grated nutmeg       1/2 tsp.
Lasagne       8 sheets
Grated Parmesan cheese    1 oz.

Preparation:

  • Heat the oil in a frying pan and cook the onion and half the garlic in it over a moderate heat for about 5 minutes. Stir in the basil and marjoram and season with pepper. Take out and set aside 2 tablespoons of the mixture.
  • Stir the tomatoes, their juice and the tomato puree into the pan of onion mixture and cook over a moderate heat for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to break dor,rm the tomatoes.
    In the meantime, prepare the filling. Blanch the spinach in unsalted boiling water for 30 seconds, pour it into a colander and rinse it with cold water. Squeeze the spinach hard, then turn it into a bou,’l, chop it roughly and work in the ricotta or curd cheese, cottage cheese, remaining garlic, reserved onion mixture and nutmeg, and season with pepper.
  • Cook the lasagne  for 2-3 minutes, then rinse it with cold water and drain well. Lay the sheets on a board and spread some filling across a narrow end of each sheet, dividing the mixture equally between them. Roll the sheets up to form cannelloni.
    Pour half the tomato sauce into a baking dish and lay the cannelloni on top, seam side down. Pour the remaining sauce over them.
  • Cover the dish and cook in the heated oven for 25 minutes, then uncover, sprinkle with Parmesan and cook for 5 minutes more to brown lightly before serving.
    You can use dried pasta instead of fresh. Cook the sheets  before filling to make them pliable. They will absorb more liquid, so use an extra 7oz (2OOg) of tomatoes in the sauce. Serve a crisp cauliflower and mushroom salad  with the cannelloni.
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