A sort of cheat's Canelloni

Not really sure if you can cheat with cannelloni - it's so much fuss to do in the first place. I didn't use any white / cheese sauce for this, but just piled on the cheese.

1 lb Hereford beef (not the lean stuff).
1 tin chopped tomatoes
1/2 jar sun dried tomato pesto (try to avoid the oil if possible)
2 beef oxo cubes
3 large cloves garlic
1 mozzarella
1 small pot (1/4 pint?) sour cream (Double cream should do as well, the shop had run out though).
9 - 12 Cannelloni.
Cooking wine (or real wine!) - about 1/2 glass
ketchup
Lea & Perrins
Mixed Herbs
The leaves of 1/2 small fresh basil plant. Chopped.


In a large saucepan;
Cook the mince until nicely browned (use as little oil as possible - none if possible). Add the tomatoes, wine, and pesto. I washed the jar and tin out with a little water and added that too - but then again I'm not afraid to thicken with cornflour and had enough time to cook it down. You should avoid if in a hurry.
Crumble the oxo cubes straight into the saucepan and stir in. Add the herbs, garlic (crushed) and cream. Simmer.

I had to spoon off excess oil at this point - if you've followed advice you might be able to get away with it.

Put the oven on hot.

Cook up until nice and saucy, or bored and then thicken with cornflour.

Take off the heat and leave for a few mins.

Cover the bottom of a small - medium pyrex dish with the sauce. Fill each cannelloni with sauce and put it in the dish, getting a good covering of pasta, but bear in mind you don't want to cut them when serving if possible.
Pour the remainder of sauce over the top.
Slice the cheese and cover the dish.

Cover the dish with tin foil. Pop in the oven for 35 mins.

Take the foil off, and return to the oven until the cheese is browned and crispy on the top. About 5-10 mins.

Serves 3-4

Tasty / Healthy Snack

3 Tomatoes
1tsp green pesto
Olive Oil
Balsamic Vinegar

1 Slice of Fresh bread


Slice Tomatoes
Cover with the tsp of pesto, olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Mix up well.

Use the bread to mop up the remaining dressing.

Creamy Mushroom Pasta.

Serves 2.

250g Pasta (3-4 Handfuls). Posh as you like.
Tin Tomatoes.
4 or 5 of manky mushrooms
1 handful porcini
2 heaped desert spoons of sun dried tomato pesto
1 sm pot sour cream (1/4 pint?)
Chicken stock cube
Italian herbs
2-3 cloves garlic

No Worcestershire!
No Ketchup!
No Cheese!
No Wine!

That said, a good bottle of Italian (Chianti?) or Spanish (Temparillo) goes well.

Soak the porcini in a little boiling water. Add the chicken stock cube to this. Leave for about 10-20 mins, unless in a real hurry.
Chop the 'shrooms, but not too thin. Only 3-4 slices from the average 'shroom.

Fry up the mushrooms in a little olive oil. In a non-stick pan, you don't need any oil to cook up mushrooms, but this recipe is hardly stingy on the grease.
Add the garlic (crushed) when almost done. The mushrooms don't want to be crispy, but do need to be sealed.
Add in the tomatoes (tinned & pesto), the cream, a good dusting of the herbs. Stir & mix well. Let cook for a few mins before adding the porcini & stock mixture.

Let it reduce down for a while. Enjoy the wine?

Put a pan of water onto the boil. Splash a bit of oil on the top.
When boiled, cook the pasta for the recommended time.

[I used some giant pasta shells bought in Windermere. It said cook them in 6 litres of water per 500g. They weren't joking - Obey the cooking instructions, otherwise it might go awry.]

Reduce the sauce down until nice and saucy. Drain pasta, cover with sauce and serve.

You may wish to finish the pasta off in the sauce if it's too runny, and you have a large enough saucepan.