Easy Italian Recipes

 Makes 10 spiral rolls

1 quantity of Quick White Bread dough
100g cooked spinach, thoroughly squeezed dry 200g ricotta
25g Parmesan, finely grated
grated nutmeg, to taste
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Follow the instructions for the Quick White Bread until the dough is shaped. Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F/gas mark 6 and oil a large baking tray.

Make the stuffing by combining the ingredients in a bowl, seasoning to taste. Roll the dough into a rectangle lcm thick. Spread the spinach mixture over the dough and roll it up into a log shape. Cut into ten.

Transfer the rolls to the tray, making sure they have enough space around them to increase in size. Set aside in a warm place, covered with a tea-towel, until doubled in size, about 45 minutes. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until golden and cooked through.

 MAKES ABOUT 18 oz (560g)

1 bunch spinach, about 10 oz (315 g), stemmed

3 large eggs

2 ¹/2 cups (12 ¹/2 oz/390 g) unbleached all-purpose (plain) flour, plus more for dusting

In a large pot over medium heat, combine the spinach and ¹/4 cup (2 fI oz/60 ml) water, cover, and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool. Place in a kitchen towel and squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach. You should have about ¹/2 cup (3 ¹/2 oz/105 g).

In a food processor, combine the spinach and eggs and process until the mixture is smooth and well blended. Add 2 cups (10 oz/315 g) of the flour and process until the flour is evenly moistened and crumbly, about 10 seconds. If the dough is very sticky, add some of the remaining ¹/2 cup (2 ¹/2 oz/75 g) flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, processing until the flour is incorporated; you may not need all of it. After 30 seconds of processing, the dough should come together and form a loose ball on top of the blade, and feel moist but not sticky when pinched.

Dust a work surface with flour, and place the ball of dough on it. To knead the dough, use the heel of one hand to push it away from you. Lift it from the far side, fold it back toward you, and then rotate the dough a quarter turn. Again, push the dough away with the heel of one hand, pull it back, and rotate a quarter turn. Stop kneading the dough when it feels damp without being sticky and is an even green with no streaks of flour. This will take only a minute or two. You will continue kneading with the pasta machine.

Shape the dough into a ball, cover with a large overturned bowl, and let rest for 30 minutes. The dough is now ready to use.

Buon appetito !

 MAKES 8-10 servings

- 1 yellow onion, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) Italian sweet fennel sausages, casings discarded and meat coarsely chopped
- 1/2 Ib (250 g) ground (minced) beef sirloin
For the sauce
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomatoes, drained and chopped
- 1 can (28 oz/875 g) plum (Roma) tomato purée
- 6 fresh basil leaves, torn into pieces
For the filling
- 1 Ib (500 g) spinach, stemmed
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 Ib (1 kg) whole-milk ricotta cheese
- 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
- 1 1/4 cups (6 oz/185 g) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
- 1 lb fresh egg pasta dough

Here, tubes of fresh pasta filled with creamy spinach and ricotta are topped with a savory meat and tomato sauce. The sauce, filling, and pasta can be made up to a day in advance, and then the dish can be assembled just before baking and serving.

To make the sauce, in a frying pan over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onion and sauté until golden, 6-8 minutes. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 1 minute. Stir in the sausage, beef, and a pinch each of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring and breaking up the meat with a wooden spoon, until the meat is browned, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes and tomato purée, and simmer until the sauce has thickened, about 20 minutes. Stir in the basii, remove from the heat, and set aside.

To make the filling, in a saucepan, combine the spinach, 1/4 cup (2 fl oz/ 60 ml) water, and a pinch of salt. Cover, piace over medium heat, and cook, stirring, until tender, 3-4 minutes. Drain the spinach and let cool, then squeeze to extract the excess liquid. Finely chop the spinach. In a bowl, stir together the spinach, ricotta, eggs, and 1 cup (4 oz/125 g) of the Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and refrigerate until needed.

Make the pasta dough, then divide and roll out each piece into a sheet 1/16 inch (2 mm). Lightly flour a rimmed baking sheet. Lay the pasta sheet on a lightly floured work surface and, using a knife or pastry wheel, cut into 4-inch (10-cm) squares. Layer the squares fiat on the prepared baking sheet, spacing them so they don't touch and separating each layer with a lightly floured kitchen towel.

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 375°F (190°C). Spread a thin layer of the sauce in the bottom of two 9-by-13-inch (23-by-33-cm) baking dishes. Lay a pasta square on a work surface, spoon about 3 tablespoons of the filling down one end of the square, and then roll into a tube. Place the tube, seam side down, in one of the prepared dishes. Fili the remaining pasta squares in the same way and arrange them in the dishes. Spread the remaining sauce on top of the rolls, dividing it evenly between the dishes. Sprinkle the remaining Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese over the top, again dividing it evenly.
Bake the cannelloni until they are tender and heated through and the sauce and cheese are bubbling, about 40 minutes. Serve hot.

Buon appetito !