Today was Dentist day
Never my favourite day.
Sorry to all you dentists out there, I don't know if it's sharp pointy things in my mouth, the sound of the drill, or the plain old feeling of invasion-of-privacy that comes from having a strangers face hovering just centimeters above my face. I'm not a fan of up-close-and-personal.
The good news is that my chipped tooth is fixed, my teeth have been buffed and shined, and ..... Dentist day always means comfort food. Cavity or not, I feel I have earned it, but in deference to the hard work my dentist has put in, and the hundreds of dollars I forked out, I've gone for savoury comfort food instead of sweet. This time.
I didn't want to buy all new ingredients for this post, instead I ratted around my pantry and fridge to see what I could find and pull together into something yummy.
1 packet gluten free Chorizo style sausages- but you can use any well flavoured one, a Pork and Fennel one would be lovely too
250 grm Ricotta type Cheese- I make my own with goat milk, it's not lactose free but I'm fine with it
200 grm Spinach- frozen or fresh
good handful fresh Basil Leaves, chopped
250 ml or to taste Tomato Passata
2 cloves Garlic, chopped
1 packet Rice Paper Sheets
Split the skins of the sausages, and scoop out the insides
Combine them with the cheese, spinach and basil
then squish squish squish together with your hands until nicely smooth and well mixed
Grease your baking dish and pour in the passata, then sprinkle on the garlic and any extra basil leaves
Dip a sheet of rice paper into cold water, leave to soften for just a few seconds, then fold in opposite sides to form a rectangle. This is just the way I wanted my dinner to look and would fit my dish nicely, you can certainly make them longer and stack them instead if you prefer
Form a sausage of the sausage mix on the short edge of the rice paper, then roll up tightly
I cut mine in half before standing them up in the baking dish nestling them into the sauce
Keep going until the dish is tightly packed with cute little cannelloni rolls.
Top up with sauce if necessary, you don't want them to be covered completely to the top
Pop a lid on the dish, or cover tightly with foil to stop them drying out. Bake at 180*C for an hour or so, mine took 75 minutes, or until the meat is completely cooked through
I also made some crunchy baked garlic chorizo crumbs to pop on top of the finished meal for a bit of crunch, but I forgot to garnish the plate before I photographed it! Oooops! But I promise you they were lovely. I crumbled up a few slices of gluten free bread, scattered in a couple of finely chopped garlic cloves, dotted through little bits of the sausage then drizzled with a touch of oil . This was all baked alongside the cannelloni, for about 20 minutes or until cooked and crunchy.
I always find that these type of dishes cut better if they're left to set for a while and not served immediately from the oven.
I served my cannelloni with a fresh green salad and no crunchy crumb garnish, but next time I won't forget!
So Dear Readers, do you mind going to the dentist, and what type of food do you like to eat after?
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