Cannelloni with chard

Ingredients for 4 servings:

• 300 g flour
• 3 eggs
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• Salt
• 900 g chard
• 200 g ricotta
• 3 tbsp Parmesan, grated
• 1 egg(s)
• 1 bunch of parsley
• 1 sprig(s) of thyme
• 1 sprig(s) rosemary
• 1 pinch of cinnamon
• nutmeg
• salt and pepper
• 20 g butter
• 20 g flour
• 250 ml milk
• nutmeg
• salt and pepper

Instructions

Working time approx. 45 minutes; Total time approx. 45 minutes

For the pasta dough, sift the flour onto a large wooden board and form a small mound. Make a well in the center, add the eggs, olive oil, and a pinch of salt, and knead everything into a smooth, elastic dough. Wrap the dough in cling film and let it rest for at least 30 minutes. In the meantime, prepare the filling. Trim the chard and remove the stems. Wash the leaves and blanch them for 3 minutes. Drain, squeeze well, finely chop, and place in a bowl. Add the ricotta, grated Parmesan, egg, the finely chopped herbs, a pinch each of cinnamon and grated nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Mix all ingredients thoroughly. Then, working in batches, roll out the dough until very thin and, using a sharp knife, cut each into 10 x 10 cm squares. Cook the dough sheets in boiling salted water for about 2 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and place in a saucepan with cold water. Drain and spread out on a kitchen towel. For the béchamel sauce, melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the flour and sweat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. Gradually stir in the milk and slowly bring the sauce to a boil. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of grated nutmeg. Cover and simmer the sauce for another 7-8 minutes over moderate heat. Place some chard filling on each square of dough and roll the dough sheets into small tubes, the cannelloni. Continue until all the ingredients are used up. Spread some béchamel sauce in an ovenproof dish. Place the cannelloni side by side on top and cover with the remaining sauce. Bake the cannelloni in a preheated oven at 180°C (gas mark 2-3; fan oven 180°C) for about 15 minutes and serve immediately while hot.