While summer limps forward, we shall continue to hope for the best weather-wise. Whether you’re in the Northern or Southern hemisphere, I bring sunshiney food on a grey day in the form of this Pizza Topped Cannelloni. Equal parts comfort and decadence.
This recipe came about in one of the lockdowns when I had a ¼ packet of pepperoni in the fridge leftover (who has ever finished a whole packet in one evening? Not me). You don’t need to use pepperoni on yours though, of course. Top it with whatever the hell you like - I like jalapeños and thinly sliced red onions on a vegetarian version. I hope you enjoy. Here’s to pizza-topped everything! There’s nothing a few too many nitrates can’t fix, am I right?
Pizza Topped Cannelloni
Serves 3-4
8-10 cannelloni tubes
1 250g tub ricotta
300g blanched spinach, squeezed dry
1 bunch basil (about 30g)
1 tin of tomatoes
½ small onion
30g butter
20ml olive oil
A sprig of rosemary
Chilli flakes
30g Grana Padano or Parmesan
1 ball of mozzarella
Pepperoni or jalapeños and/or thinly sliced red onion
Dried oregano
Make the sauce by placing the onion in a small pan with the tin of tomatoes and about a third of a tin’s worth of water (use it to wash out the excess tomato). Add 30g butter, 20ml olive oil, a sprig of basil, some fresh chopped rosemary and a pinch of chilli flakes to the pan. Cook on a very low heat, covered, for 40 minutes.
Finely chop the blanched spinach then make the filling by mixing the ricotta with the Grana Padano or Parmesan, the blanched spinach and the rest of the bunch of basil, chopped.
Turn your oven on to 180°c. Cook 8-10 cannelloni in salted boiling water for 5 minutes (or 1-2 minutes if using fresh pasta). Drain on to a tea towel. When cool enough to handle, fill the cannelloni with the filling using a teaspoon. Use the back of the spoon to push the filling through to the middle of the tubes. Lay the cannelloni in a baking dish in a single layer.
Cover the cannelloni with your tomato sauce then tear the mozzarella on top, like you’re topping a pizza. Finish with a layer of pepperoni or jalapeños and sliced red onion if you're vegetarian (or both if you want). Sprinkle dried oregano on top and bake for 30-35 minutes in the oven until crisped to your liking. Enjoy with a crisp salad!
It’s mango season. This means we get to enjoy big boxes of juicy fruit from South Asia, which is 1000 x better than the obnoxiously large but rock hard fruit that the supermarkets sell year round. If you don’t have a South Asian grocer near you, you can order the good stuff from Red Rickshaw. So here are my top 3 ways to enjoy mango…
I ate this at the restaurant last year and it’s extraordinarily good (as is their entire menu - they do a £23 two-course set thali menu which I’m pumped to try). The cheesecake is smooth, creamy, tangy and topped with gorgeously orange slices of the good stuff.
This is a breakfast I used to eat when I lived in Australia, sometimes made with black sticky rice. It’s the best Summer breakfast because you eat it cold, and can prepare it the day before. Bre Graham’s version (pictured) reminded me of how good it is. She recommends this recipe here, and I’m going to be making it ASAP!
Mango Lassi
Blend a whole Alphonso or Kesar mango with equal parts yogurt (about 100g). Add honey or a squeeze of lime juice if it needs it. Slurp!
And if you feel up for a challenge:
A Mango flower lollipop with chilli salt is the simplest, most delightful snack… I made one today after watching this but let’s just say a few petals fell off…
If I’d wanted to eat the queen in dessert form, I’d have let you know. The monarch made out of icing sugar… that truly was what we were all missing from our lives. The declarations of royalism seen on restaurant menus last weekend served a purpose, though. They helped me form a not-interested-in-visiting list - always helpful. A poll I posted on Instagram suggested the restaurants would have to pay US at least £50 to eat such a monstrosity. Rightly so.
Until next time, compadres. Happy eating.