Spinach, ricotta and salmon cannelloni

Loreto, from Sabores de Colores, suggests a quick way to prepare some salmon, spinach and ricotta cannelloni really delicious, cooked and served in a skillet for a rich preparation and an original presentation at the table.

Cannelloni and lasagna recipes, although a bit tedious, are really handy: they allow for every variation you can think of and best of all they always turn out well and everyone likes them.

I love to prepare them in the Le Creuset skillet, both in the smaller ones to serve as an individual portion and in the large one if at least 4 diners are going to enjoy the meal.

T&G cutting board with painted handle and Skillet Le Creuset cast iron pan

I know you'll tell me how tedious it is to prepare cannelloni, I admit that at home we use ones that already come formed and with the help of a piping bag in the blink of an eye they're ready. So if you can get them don't hesitate, they're convenient and a perfect excuse to make cannelloni more often.

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

• 16 formed cannelloni
• 250gr ricotta cheese
• 250gr fresh spinach
• 120gr smoked salmon
• 3 tablespoons grated Parmesan for the filling
• 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan for sprinkling
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove finely chopped
• 1 egg yolk
• 1 teaspoon dried tarragon
• 1 pinch nutmeg
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Pepper
• 500 gr homemade tomato sauce

For a light béchamel:

• 50 gr extra virgin olive oil
• 100 gr flour
• 800 gr whole milk
• Salt
• Pepper
• Nutmeg

PREPARATION

1. In our Le Creuset skillet we heat two tablespoons of oil, brown the garlic, add the onion and cook it slowly. Next we add the spinach and the tarragon, sauté for a few minutes. Remove to a plate and let cool slightly.

2. While the spinach cools, in a bowl we mix the ricotta with three tablespoons of Parmesan, the egg yolk and the smoked salmon finely chopped. Adjust salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then chop the wilted spinach and add it to the ricotta and mix well.

3. Once we have the filling ready, with the help of a piping bag (I used a disposable one without a tip) we fill the pasta tubes and set them aside.

4. We take out our Le Creuset skillet and cover the bottom with tomato sauce, place the cannelloni on it, and cover with the remaining sauce. We cover with aluminum foil and bake in the oven preheated to 200ºC for 15 minutes.

5. While the cannelloni bake in the oven we prepare the béchamel. To do this, heat the olive oil in a saucepan, add the flour and cook it for about two minutes, then add the milk without stopping stirring with a whisk. Cook until it thickens, adjust salt, pepper and nutmeg. Set aside.

6. After the cannelloni cooking time has passed, remove them from the oven, take off the aluminum foil, cover with the béchamel, sprinkle with Parmesan and gratin for 5 minutes or until the surface has browned.

7. Remove from the oven and serve hot.

NOTE: If you like your cannelloni more covered with béchamel, or only with béchamel, or only with tomato sauce, they will turn out just as delicious. If you omit the tomato sauce, you would need to cover them with béchamel, cover the skillet with aluminum foil, and cook as indicated in the recipe.

These spinach and salmon cannelloni are really delicious, and you've already seen they aren't very complicated. So go for them, and tell me who could resist dipping bread.

Loreto