Holy Cannelloni!

We had the best dinner last night.  I finally feel well enough to cook again (and to refrain from carrying marshmallows in my pockets and pulling them out and sniffing them in a rather conspicuous, but necessary, manner to block out offending smells on the bus and in the grocery store).  We brought home five heads of broccoli from the allotment on Saturday, so I went trawling through our Leith's vegetarian cookbook and came up with a recipe for broccoli cannelloni.  It's so good.  We're going to have it again next week, and I'm going to share the recipe with you, because I'm so nice and also because I have no money, so you're not getting a Christmas present this year.

Leith's Broccoli Cannelloni (with slight modifications)

8 oz broccoli florets
8 oz mozzarella cheese
salt and pepper
nutmeg (fresh if possible)
1-2 T olive oil
8 lasagne sheets
parmesan cheese

Sauce:
1 14 oz can of chopped tomatoes
1 small carrot, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 garlic clove, chopped
1 bay leaf
juice from 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
dash of worcestershire sauce
1 t sugar (caster if possible)
1 t fresh basil (or a bit of dried)

For the sauce:
Combine all ingredients in a saucepan, cover and simmer for 30 minutes.  Blend to a smooth consistency.  Adjust seasoning.

For the canneloni:
Cook broccoli florets in salted water until al dente, about 5 minutes.  Drain and rinse.  Chop into small pieces and toss with mozzarella (we used shredded; if using whole, chop into 1/2 inch cubes).  Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.  Dampen with olive oil.

Cook lasagne noodles 2-3 minutes until al dente.  Divide the broccoli mixture into 8 servings and roll up in the lasagne noodles.  Set seam-side down in a shallow pan and cover with sauce.  Grate parmesan cheese over the sauce.  Cook at 400 degrees for 20-30 minutes until heated through and browned on top.

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