Asparagus Cannelloni
– How to Cheat

Cheats should always eat masses of English asparagus while its short season lasts. All it needs is 4-6 minutes’ steaming, lots of melted butter and your favourite crusty bread. That said, asparagus is also great in this recipe, not least because its shape and design make it perfect for rolling up in cannelloni wraps. Then added to that is one of Sainsbury’s excellent range of fresh Italian sauces – this one is a fresh asparagus sauce. I’ve also added mozzarella for creaminess and Pecorino Romano for lots of cheesy ‘bite’, and if I do say it myself the whole thing is a triumph considering you’re not going to have to do very much more than pop it in the oven!

Serves 2

Ingredients

1 lb (450 g) medium English asparagus
6 fresh lasagne sheets (half a 9 oz/250 g pack)
1 x 150 g ball of mozzarella cheese
1 oz (25 g) Pecorino Romano cheese
1 x 300 g tub Sainsbury’s fresh Asparagus Sauce
milk (see recipe method)
salt and freshly milled black pepper

Pre-heat the oven to gas mark 4, 350°F (180°C).

You will also need a heatproof gratin dish with a base measurement of about 8½ x 6½ inches (22 x 17 cm), enough to take the cannelloni in a single layer.

First prepare the asparagus by simply snapping off the tough ends at the point where it breaks off naturally, giving it a rinse in cold water and drying with a tea-cloth.

One really good cheese wheeze, if you have a mini chopper (see How to Cheat Equipment Hero, below), is to crumble 1 oz (25 g) or so (what looks like a tablespoonful) of Pecorino cheese into the chopper and whiz it to the fine crumb stage – it take seconds. After that slice the mozzarella cheese into about 8 slices.

Now empty the sauce into a jug, measure the milk to about one-third of the sauce container and add that to the jug. Whisk the milk and sauce together with a seasoning of salt and pepper, then spread a third of the mixture over the base of a heatproof gratin dish (I used one with a base measurement of 8½ x 6½ inches/22 x 17 cm).

Next, to prepare the cannelloni: take one lasagne sheet, place one slice of mozzarella in the centre and follow that with the asparagus spears (about 5 or 6), laying them alternately – ie, one with the tip at one end, the next with the tip at the other end and so on. Then season well with salt and pepper, roll the pasta around them and place them seam-side down in the gratin dish.

Continue like this with the rest of the lasagne sheets, so they sit side by side in the dish. Now pour the rest of the sauce mixture over, cut both the remaining mozzarella slices into 3 pieces and place one of these on each roll.

Finally sprinkle the Pecorino all over, then bake in the oven on the centre shelf for 30-40 minutes until the cannelloni are golden brown and the asparagus is tender. Serve with some dressed salad leaves.

This recipe first appeared in You magazine.

How to Cheat Hero Ingredients:

Sainsbury’s Fresh Asparagus Sauce
Sainsbury’s Fresh Lasagne Sheets

How To Cheat Equipment Hero:
Kenwood CH180 Mini Chopper
Available from Woolworths, Argos, larger Boots stores, Sainsbury’s House of Fraser, Allders and Safeway

Delia says, 'If you want to short-circuit lots of tedious chopping and knife sharpening, I’m really enthusiastic about this ingenious mini food processor. 1 tablespoon chopped parsley: 2 seconds, ¾ packet watercress: 4-5 seconds, a finely chopped onion… you name it – thousands of fast little processes that save you time.'

Want to know Delia's thoughts behind her latest project? Click here

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