Asparagus Cannelloni with Coriander Pesto and Yoghurt Béchamel by Yotam Ottolenghi
Recipe extracted from the Guardian website. Recipe can also be found in Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - Extra Good Things
Ingredients
8 sheets dried lasagne
450g asparagus (ie, about 24 spears), trimmed
For the coriander pesto
80g coriander, leaves and stalks roughly chopped
80g blanched hazelnuts, toasted and roughly chopped
4 tsp coriander seeds, toasted
1-2 lemons – zest finely grated, to get 1 tbsp, and juiced, to get 1 tbsp
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
120ml olive oil
Salt and black pepper
For the yoghurt béchamel
300g Greek-style yoghurt
200ml whole milk
2 egg yolks
1 large garlic clove, peeled and crushed
1 tbsp cornflour
80g pecorino or parmesan, finely grated
70g firm (low-moisture) mozzarella, roughly grated
1/2 tsp salt
generous grind of pepper
Method
Preheat fan oven to 180°C. Bring a large pot of generously salted water to thr boil. Add the lasagne sheets and cook for 6 minutes, until cooked through but still have a bit of bite.
Make the coriander pesto by blending 60ml olive all and all of the ingredients (excluding the lemon juice) together into a coarse paste. Set 1/3 of it aside.
Make the béchamel sauce by whisking all of the ingredients together until smooth. Pour half of it into a 34cm x 24cm baking tray.
Lay a sheet of lasagne on a clean work surface with the shorter side facing you. Spread a spoonful of the remaining pesto over the sheet of lasagne, then lay three asparagus spears horizontally on top and all facing the same direction.
Roll up the pasta into a cannelloni shape, with the asparagus sticking out slightly at each end. Carefully lift up the cannelloni and lay it seam side down in the baking dish on top of the béchamel. Repeat with the remaining pasta, pesto and asparagus, laying each rolled cannelloni in the baking dish so they’re all facing the same direction.
Pour the remaining béchamel over the top of the cannelloni,, ensuring not to cover any exposed green asparagus, then bake for 35 minutes, until golden and bubbling.
Just before serving, stir the remaining four tablespoons of oil and the lemon juice into the reserved pesto, spoon a generous amount over the cannelloni and serve warm with the remaining pesto in a bowl alongside.
Recipe extracted from the Guardian website. Recipe can also be found in Ottolenghi Test Kitchen - Extra Good Things