Colman Andrews says that if Barcelona has a single culinary presentation so well-loved and widely eaten in the city as to be virtually emblematic of it, it is ‘canalons’ – the Catalan version of Italy’s famous ‘cannelloni’. They are traditional dish of Saint Stephen’s Day, December 26.
We also like this delicious variation on conventional Barcelona-style ‘canalons’ .
Pumpkin, orange and fresh cheese cannelloni
Ingredients (makes 4)
200 g. peeled pumpkin
170 g. recuit (fresh cheese)
1 orange
honey, olive oil
4 cannelloni sheets
170 ml. cream
100 g. Idiazábal cheese
20 g. of pine nuts
rosemary, salt, pepper, edible flowers, ground pistachio
Method
For the filling, peel and cut the pumpkin in chunks, set on an oven tray with oven paper and drizzle it with honey, a splash of water and olive oil and cover it with foil. Roast till soft at 170º. Let it cool down, mash and mix it with fresh cheese. Season with some finely zested orange, salt and pepper.
Boil the pasta sheets in abundant salty water and a drizzle of olive oil following the package instructions. Put in cold water and line on boards. Distribute the filling on the pasta and roll carefully. Put them on a tray, lined with parchment, splash with a bit of water to keep them moist and cover with foil. Warm in the oven.
Reduce the cream , with a sprig of rosemary until desired texture. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Toast the pine nuts slightly on a pan with a little olive oil, until golden brown.
Put the cannelloni on a plate, cover with the sauce, decorate with Idiazábal shavings (with a peeler), edible flowers, some pine nuts and ground pistachio.
