Ingredients:
* 225 g (8 oz) frozen spinach
* 15 g (1/2 oz) butter
* 50 g (2 oz) ricotta cheese
* 25 g (1 oz) Parmesan cheese, grated
* 40 g (1 1/2 oz) mozzarella cheese, grated
* pinch grated nutmeg
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 8 no pre-cook cannelloni
Tomato sauce:
* 1 onion, peeled and finely chopped
* 1 clove garlic, crushed
* 1 bay leaf
* 1 tbsp olive oil
* 500 to 600 ml (17 to 20 fl oz) passata (tomato puree)
* salt and freshly ground black pepper
* 25 g (1 ox) Cheddar cheese, sliced
Decoration:
* 8 sauteed button mushrooms
* 20 stoned black olives
* 75 g (3 oz) fine egg noodles
* 1 carrot, peeled
* 1/4 red and green pepper (capsicum), de-seeded
1. Pre-heat an oven to 180°C/350°F/Gas Mark 4. To make the tomato sauce, saute the onion, garlic and bay leaf in the olive oil for 2 minutes. Add the passata, season to taste and simmer uncovered for about 8 minutes or until thickened.
2. Cook the spinach according to die packet instructions. Drain well and press out any excess liquid with a wooden spoon, then roughly chop the spinach. Melt the butter in a saucepan and saute the spinach for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the ricotta, Parmesan and moxzarella cheeses and season to taste. Use this mixture to fill the cannelloni and arrange these in a single layer in a suitable ovenproof dish, leaving enough room for the mushroom faces and feet. Cover with the tomato sauce.
3. Bake in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes. Arrange the cheese slices over the tomato sauce to form a turned-down sheet and heat in the oven until melted.
4. To decorate, arrange the mushrooms as faces and add tiny triangles of black olive for eyes, fine egg noodles for hair with red and green pepper bows, carrot triangles for hats, and tiny strips of red pepper for the mouths. Finally, arrange the black olives as feet.
Serves: 4 portions
