Tofu and Spinach Cannelloni
It poured earlier this week. The forecast was “possible hail”, so when it started to rain, I ran home from work and skipped a trip to the shops to pick up anything I could make for dinner. I had some pantry items, some stuff in the freezer, 3 tomatoes and a block of tofu, but managed to (eventually) make a pretty nice dinner out of it. Recipe for the roasted garlic meatballs I made with this are next!
Ingredients:
- 2 cans of tomatoes
- 3 whole tomatoes
- 1 cup of wine
- ½ cup water
- 3 cloves of garlic, diced
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- Salt and pepper
- 2 cups of type 00 flour
- 2 eggs
- 1 block of tofu
- 1 package frozen spinach
- 1 chili, diced
- 1 tsp nutmeg
In a pot, heat olive oil and saute garlic. Add the tomatoes, wine, and water, and let simmer. If you have any fresh herbs, definitely throw them in! Cook until you’re ready to use, and then process with a handheld blender or food processor.
[Note: you could also just you store bought cannelloni shells and skip this step] In a bowl, beat eggs and add a pinch of salt. Slowly add flour, a half cup at a time, and knead into a dough. Refrigerate for 15 minutes wrapped in cling film.
Thaw spinach and drain. Crush up tofu, mix with spinach, chili and nutmeg, and season with salt. Set aside and start to make your pasta.
Either in a pasta maker or with a rolling pin, run the pasta through until it’s thin, dusting with flour as you go to prevent sticking. Cut into 5x5 inch squares and set aside.
Put a scoop of sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 13 inch baking dish (or similar size) so the pasta doesn’t stick. Line up a few tablespoons of filling on the edge of the pasta, and roll into a tube. Put in the pan and repeat with the remaining pasta. Cover with the rest of the sauce and bake for 30 minutes. Serve with grated parmesan.
