My Freedom Friday Dish

I know It's a long read but trust me this dish is well worth it...

Beef & Spinach Cannelloni with a creamy nutmeg parmesan sauce

500g ground mince beef

1 medium white onions finely diced

2 cloves crushed garlic

½ tsp freshly grated ground nutmeg

1 tbsp table salt

½ tsp dried thyme or 4 sprigs fresh thyme leaves only

4 cups fresh baby spinach

2 tbsp olive oil

8 small fresh lasagne sheets or 4 large lasagne sheets cut in half (tesco, dunnes

Creamy parmesan sauce

125g butter

4 tbsp plain white flour

1 cup single pouring cream

3 cups milk

½ cup grated white mature cheddar cheese

1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

¼ tsp freshly grated ground nutmeg

Season to taste

Topping

2 fresh diced vine tomatoes (if you can't get vine tomatoes regulars toms will do)

1 regular ball of fresh buffalo mozzarella sliced into six (optional)

A sprinkle of fresh thyme leaves

1.In a wok style pan or non stick pot heat the 2 tbsp if oil

2.Throw in the onions sauté for 2 minutes add the mince in batches browning all the meat 3.Add the garlic, salt, fresh thyme and nutmeg cook for a further 5 minutes stirring occasionally so the mince does not burn.

4.Remove from the heat add in the spinach and mix through (see the photo)

Parmesan creamy sauce

5. In a non stick pan gently melt the butter add the flour to make a roux (paste) cook for about 30 seconds.

6. Add the milk and cream stirring constantly to insure there are no lumps in your sauce.

7. Add the two cheeses, allow the sauce to thicken, season to taste and set aside.

8. Add a thin layer of the parmesan sauce to the bottom of your tray/dish.

9. Divide the beef mix into eight, grab 1 lasagne sheet fill with one of the beef portions (see photo) gently fold the sheet into a roll repeat to fill the tray/dish or when the mix is finished. 10. Pour the creamy parmesan sauce over the cannelloni* scatter the fresh tomato chunks over the cannelloni and top with the sliced buffalo mozzarella and extra fresh thyme leaves (optional)

11. Bake in a moderate oven 180c for 25 minutes remove from the oven and sprinkle the fresh thyme leaves and serve.

When I made this decadent dish at festivals I would do 15/20 trays at a time, each tray holds 16 cannelloni rolls, do the maths that's lots of rolls and a 160 serves..

Tips & Tricks

*make sure the sauce falls down the edges of the cannelloni so the lasagne sheets are fully covered (see photo)

Enjoy with a lovely glass of red !

Denise x