Bill Granger's Pumpkin and Ricotta Cannelloni Recipe

Pumpkin Cannelloni

Serves 4 or 6 for lunch

• 6 large fresh lasagne sheets or 12-14 smaller sized ones. I bought a 400g/14oz packet of 13 lasagne sheets

• 35g/1 oz parmesan

Filling

• 1.25kg/2.7lns peeled, deseeded pumpkin cut into 3 cm cubes

• 1 large red onion, cut into thin wedges

• 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

• 2 teaspoons thyme leaves

• 1/2 teaspoon dried chili flakes

• sea salt

• freshly ground black pepper

Cheese sauce

• 40g/1.4ozs butter

• 3 tablespoons plain flour

• 750ml/26flozs milk

• 1 bay leaf

• 240g/8ozs ricotta

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Step 1 - Preheat the oven to 200C/400F. To make the filling, place pumpkin and onion on a large baking tray and drizzle olive oil on top. Sprinkle thyme, chili, salt and pepper on top and roast for 45 minutes until golden stirring occasionally. Cool slightly and mash with a fork ensuring to leave some texture.

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Step 2 - To make the cheese sauce , heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, stirring for 2-3 minutes or until bubbling. gradually whisk in the milk then add bay leaf and cook. stirring until the sauce is thickened and smooth. Remove from heat and whisk in the ricotta and season with salt and pepper.

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Step 3 - Lightly butter a baking dish or use a non stick one ensuring you use one that will snugly hold the cannelloni. Pour 1/3 of the cheese sauce onto to base of the baking tray. then assemble the cannelloni by filling in each one with 2-3 tablespoons of filling and fold over to make a tube to enclose filling.

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Place cannelloni in a single layer on top of cheese sauce and then sprinkle some water on the pasta. Pour the rest of the sauce on top ensuring that the cannelloni is covered with sauce. Cover with grated parmesan.

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Step 4 - Cover and freeze at this stage. Or if cooking this now, bake in a 180C oven for 35-40 minutes until golden and bubbling. Serve with tomato sauce below.

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To cook from frozen, place in a preheated oven at 160C for about 45 minutes until golden and heated through.

Simple tomato sauce

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Makes about 800ml

• 800g tinned chopped tomatoes

• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

• 1 teaspoon sea salt

• 1 teaspoon sugar

• freshly ground black pepper

• 2 garlic cloves, crushed

Step 1 - Empty tomatoes into a saucepan and cook over a medium heat for about 15-25 minutes until  reduced and thickened. Add remaining ingredients and cook for 1 minute.

Adapted from Feed Me Now by Bill Granger

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