Today we are going to make a cannelloni, a great meal to make for the table allowing everyone to delve into themselves, served with a fresh salad and home made bread brings a touch of Italy to Orkney and farther afield.

Cannelloni                                              Serves 4

Ragu: Tomato sauce

• 1tbs oil
• 12 cannelloni tubes
• 125g Mince
• 1 large onion chopped finely
• tin chopped tomatoes
• 2tbl tomato puree
• 2 cloves garlic crushed or 2tsp garlic granules
• 1 chicken or vegetable stock cube
• 1/2tsp mixed herbs

cheese/white sauce

• 1 pint of milk
• 1dsp cornflour
• 25g butter
• 1 clove Garlic or 1tsp garlic granules
• 1/4tsp nutmeg (not essential)
• 150g chedder (not essential)

Topping

• 50g grated cheddar

1. Heat the oil in a saucepan, add the onions and mince and brown for around 5mins, add the garlic and further cook for a couple of minutes.
2. Add the tin of tomatoes, tomato puree, stock cube and herbs, cook out for around 30mins. Allow to cool. (I tend to make this part of the dish the previous evening)
3. Before you start to fill your pasta choose your dish and make sure the tubes shall fit leaving a slight space between each piece.
4. Using a tsp carefully fill each tube aligning them in the dish as you go.
5. Turn on oven to 180c gas mark4 350F

Sauce

1. Place, butter, cornflour, garlic granules, nutmeg if using, and milk in a saucepan.
2. Heat fairly slowly, stirring all the time until the sauce starts to bubble, salt and pepper to taste.
3. Add the cheese now if you are using.
4. Carefully pour your sauce over the top of your pasta tubes and bake in the oven for around 45mins or until the pasta is soft.

1. Next week we shall make a simple fricassee dish, for this you shall need 300g chicken, smokey bacon, onion, red/green pepper, paprika, chicken/ham or vegetable stock cube, cornflour, garlic and herbs.