Photographer: John Paul Urizar. Stylist: Michele Cranston.
Warm up with a comforting and flavoursome pumpkin cannelloni. We’ve combined pumpkin with creamy ricotta, smooth bechamel sauce, fresh lasagne sheets and crisp sage leaves.
Ingredients
Method
Preheat oven to 220°C (200°C fan-forced). Divide pumpkin between two lined oven trays. Drizzle over 2 tablespoons of oil, season to taste and toss to coat. Cover with foil; roast for 30 minutes or until just tender. Add leek, garlic, sage and another 2 tablespoons of the oil; toss to coat, re-cover with foil. Roast for a further 10 minutes or until vegetables are very tender. Cool slightly.
BECHAMEL SAUCE Meanwhile, melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour until a smooth paste forms, cook, stirring, for 1 minute or until mixture is bubbling. Gradually whisk in warmed milk until smooth. Bring to the boil; whisk continuously for 4 minutes or until thickened. Stir in ground nutmeg. Season to taste.
Transfer roast pumpkin mixture to a large bowl. Add ricotta, parmesan and ½ teaspoon of the nutmeg; mash with a potato masher or fork until mixture is well combined and smooth. Season to taste.
Cut each pasta sheet into three even rectangles to make 12 pieces, approximately 12cm x 14cm. (Check if store-bought lasagne sheets recommends pre-cooking on packet.)
Grease a 26cm x 33cm baking dish, spread half the white sauce over the base of the dish.
Working with one pasta piece at a time, position short side in front of you. Starting 3cm up from the bottom edge, spread 1/3 cup (80g) of pumpkin filling until halfway up the piece. Roll up from side in front of you. Place cannelloni, seam-side down, in a single layer, on sauce in dish. Repeat with remaining pasta and filling.
Spoon remaining white sauce over cannelloni. Cover with greased foil; bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil; top with extra parmesan and remaining nutmeg. Bake for a further 25 minutes or until pasta is tender and top is golden brown.
Meanwhile, make crisp sage leaves: Heat oil in a medium frying pan over high heat. Fry sage, in batches, stirring for 30 seconds or until crisp; drain on paper towel. Reserve frying oil.
Serve cannelloni topped with sage leaves and a drizzle of sage oil.
Can cannelloni be made in advance?
Yes, this pumpkin cannelloni can be assembled the day ahead and baked just prior to serving.
Which pumpkin is best for cannelloni?
For this recipe we’ve used kent pumpkin with grey skin and yellow flesh.
When buying pumpkins, choose whole pumpkins that are unblemished, heavy for their size and still have some stem attached as a seal against disease and insect invasion. For cut pumpkin, look for bright-coloured firm flesh that is free of soft spots or discolouration.
How to store pumpkin
Keep whole pumpkins in a well-ventilated place away from heat and sunlight for up to 2 months. Hard-skinned varieties will store out of the fridge for longer, and over winter can become sweeter. Once cut, remove seeds, cover with plastic wrap and store in the fridge for up to a week.
