Pork, Pumpkin, Sage & Ricotta Cannelloni
This bubbling pasta bake offers rich and comforting autumn flavours, ideal to pair with a textural white wine or light red. While it takes a little while to assemble, the recipe only needs simple ingredients and techniques.
Ingredients
- 650g pumpkin, peeled
- 1 brown onion, peeled and diced
- 4 large garlic cloves, crushed
- 500g free range pork mince
- 10 sage leaves, finely sliced
- 1/4 cup (60ml) verjuice
- 300g spinach, (English or baby)
- 250g fresh ricotta cheese
- 1/3 cup (~50g) pine nuts
- salt and pepper
- extra virgin olive oil
- packet fresh cannelloni pasta sheets
- handful of finely grated pecorino
- fresh whole sage leaves, to garnish
- For the Béchamel
- 80g butter
- 80g plain flour
- 850ml full cream milk
- 1/3 cup (80ml) verjuice
- 1/2 cup (125ml) dry white wine
- white pepper & ground nutmeg
- 50g pecorino cheese, grated
Method
- Preheat oven to 180°C. Remove seeds from pumpkin and cut into rough chunks. Place on a lined baking tray, drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 30-35 minutes until soft. Allow to cool slightly before mashing roughly.
- Meanwhile, warm 2 tbsp olive oil in a large pan over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute for a few minutes, stirring often, until softened. Add the pork mince and chopped sage and cook until meat has browned, breaking up mince in the pan. When browned, add 1/4 cup verjuice and stir to combine. Season, then simmer over low heat for 5 minutes.
- Add 1/2 cup water to a medium saucepan, bring to the boil, then add spinach and a pinch of salt and cook until wilted. Drain and rinse under cold water, then squeeze out as much water as possible. Chop finely, and add to pork mixture with ricotta, pine nuts and mashed pumpkin. Stir to combine.
- For the béchamel, add butter into a large saucepan and melt over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk together to form a smooth, golden roux. (You can use a stick mixer if you would prefer). Slowly add milk to the roux in small amounts, whisking as you go, until all the milk is added and you have a smooth sauce. Add the verjuice, wine, and a pinch of white pepper and ground nutmeg. Simmer over a low-medium heat, whisking regularly, until the consistency of smooth pouring custard. Stir through the grated pecorino cheese to combine.
- Pour half of the béchamel sauce into the base of a 30 x 20cm baking dish. Divide the pork mixture evenly between cannelloni sheets (alternatively, use fresh lasagne sheets cut in half), roll to enclose and place in a tightly packed, single layer in the baking dish until the dish is full. Pour over remaining béchamel sauce and generously top with extra grated pecorino and some fresh sage leaves. Bake for 40 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Sit for 5 minutes before slicing, and serve with a fresh green salad.
- Original recipe by food blogger 'What Katie Ate'
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