This was my first time to cook Cannelloni.  My first taste of this was when my cousin had just come back from studies in the US and prepared it for one family gathering during our teens.  My cousin is really a gifted man in the kitchen.  It’s a trait he got from his godmother I was told…umm… by  his godmother…. who happens to be my Mom.

Back then, everyone swooned over how good this was since most of us hadn’t tasted it before.  I’ve had it a few times since then, but never thought of making it myself because I was intimidated.  Cannelloni sounds like a lot of work but isn’t really. There’s a lot of steps in the preparation, but they’re not at all delicate or difficult in anyway.  Besides, the results are worth it.

The combination of the ricotta with the spinach, tomato sauce with basil and rosemary and fontina cheese was excellent.  There’s a delicate sweetness to this dish I only tasted once before in a stuffed pasta shell dish of one restaurant.

It’s a home-style Italian restaurant in Cheyenne, Wyoming called Avanti Ristorante Italiano. They serve excellent Italian food, never touted as authentic, just home-style.  If you find yourself passing through the Cowboy State in the future, make a stop at Avanti. I guarantee, it will be worth it.

For planning purposes, I made one full recipe and have another dish sitting in my refrigerator for another day.  It should keep about 5 days.  Freezing is not recommended because the Bechamel Sauce will separate.

Spinach Cannelloni with Fontina Tomato Sauce:

1 tsp. olive oil

2 tbsps. minced shallots

1 can (28 or 32 oz.) whole italian tomatoes

2/3 c. water

1/2 tsp. chopped parsley

1/2 tsp. dried rosemarya few basil leaves, torn

1/4 tsp. salt

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Add the shallots and cook 1 minute.  Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil.  Simmer for 25-30minutes.  Set aside.

Crepes:

3/4 c. water

3/4 c. milk

3 large eggs

1/4 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

1 1/2 c. all purpose flour

1 tsp. vegetable oil for brushing pan

Process all crepe ingredients except the flour and vegetable oil, at low speed in a blender.  Add the flour and process until smooth.  Lightly coat a 6-inch nonstick skillet with oil, over medium high heat 1 minute.  Pour 2 tbsps. batter into skillet, tilting to coat bottom. Cook 1 minute or until crepe sets on top and begins to brown on the bottom.  Invert onto a plate.  Repeat, stacking crepes.  Cover and set aside.

Bechamel Sauce:

2 tbsps. butter or margarine

3 tbsps. minced shallots

3 tbsps. all purpose flour

1/2 c. heavy cream or whipping cream

1 c. milk

1/4 tsp. salt

2 ounces fontina cheese, cut up

Melt butter in small saucepan over medium-high heat.? Add the shallots and cook 1 minute.  Stir in the flour, cook another minute.  Stirring constantly (a wire whisk is best for this), add the milk, cream and salt  gradually as you whisk.  TIP:  Put the liquids and salt in measuring cup with a lip to make pouring easier.  Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.  Stir in cheese until melted.  Cover and set aside.

Filling:

2 bags fresh spinach, steamed, chopped and strained rained

1 tsps. garlic

1 32 oz. container ricotta cheese

1 large egg yolk

1/2 c. freshly grated parmesan cheese

1/2 tsp. salt.

1/4 tsp. freshly ground pepper

Heat 1 oil and saute garlic over medium  heat.  Add garlic and cook 2 minutes.  Add spinach and saute 3 minutes.  Combine this with rest of ingredients in a large bowl.

Assembly:

Heat oven to 375F.  Cover bottom of shallow 4-quart baking dish with 1 cup of tomato sauce.  Spoon 1/3 c. of filling along center of each crepe, roll up and transfer to baking dish, arranging it so you have 2 4-crepe rows. 

Spoon 1 more cup of tomato sauce over crepes.  Cover with bechamel sauce and bake 25-30 minutes. Cool at least 10 minutes before serving. 

It was more than 2 years ago when Spouse and I went to New Orleans on a day trip from Biloxi, Mississippi.  I fell in love with the city even before we set foot in it.

On our approach to the city, the car radio was tuned to a local station that was playing the music of the city, jazz.  Driving on Interstate 10 to cross the now world-infamous Lake Ponchartrain, I was struck by the beauty of the many bridges, the city and the beautiful waters of the lake and the mighty Mississippi beyond.

Aside from being the home of jazz and the blues, New Orleans is also famous for its cuisine.

My target on that summer’s day was the Muffuleta of Central Grocery.  I first heard of it in the PBS special, “Sandwiches You Will Like”  that Spouse and I watched just a few weeks before our trip.  Central Grocery is located in the French Quarter, on Decatur Street.  If you are not looking for it, you can easily miss it.  But I was a woman on a mission that day….my radar was up and my tummy was leading the way.

Soon as we got tothe place, Spouse and I made a beeline for the counter where we placed our order of a whole Muffuletta.  Unfortunately, I didn’t take a photo of the sandwich.  The photo I posted here is of the inside of the grocery.   I was standing in the back, where they put long shelves that served as tables where customers could stand and have their Muffuletta undisturbed – with large cans of Italian olive oil by their feet.

It’s very unassuming, just like an old grocery is supposed to look like – crammed from floor to ceiling with jars and bottles and cans of everything you can think of.  This was an Italian grocer so they had imported Italian foodstuffs as well as the local Cajun staples.

Now to the Muffuleta….the sandwich is humongously huge and it has everything.  It’s a round foccaccia-style bread with deli meats and cheeses topped by an olive salad to keep it all together.

If I remember correctly from the PBS show, the olives and veggies are marinated in a dressing for at least 24 hours.  This is what makes the sandwich stand out from any ordinary Italian deli sandwich.

I hope that wasn’t the last Muffuletta I will have in my lifetime.  If it was, I’ll never forget it.  And before I go, I’ll tell my friends and family to go to New Orleans at least once in their life, and have a Muffuletta at the Central Grocery in New Orleans in my memory….

The Encyclopedia of Cajun & Creole Cuisine

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Culver’s is a restaurant made famous by their mouth-watering ButterBurger.  I have to do another post on their burger when I have photos. Ohhh……mmm….and if I remember to take a shot before I take a bite.

They’re a 22-year old restaurant chain out of Wisconsin, the state made famous by cheese. Spouse and I like going to this restaurant because their burgers are exceptionally good and because they have a clean, well-lit place that just makes eating all the more pleasing.

My only problem with Culver’s is the burgers are so good and hefty, my tummy just cannot accomodate dessert.  This has been torture each time since they have this frozen custard I’ve been dying to try since we first discovered the place.

Fortunately, Spouse brought home a pint of their ice cream recently and we were finally able to try it.  Their ice cream is made fresh everyday and comes in vanilla and chocolate flavors only.

One pint had both flavors, vanilla on top and chocolate at the bottom. The chocolate will satisfy any chocoholic.  The smoothness of the ice cream and the mix with the vanilla ice cream may deceive you, as I was,  into thinking it isn’t as rich….but it is.   This ice cream is exceptionally smooth and not overly sweet like some ice creams -  just the way I like my ice cream.

Cheese: The Making of a Wisconsin Tradition