Print the recipe page!  crab and ricotta cannelloni

You won’t believe this is 100% food storage when you taste it!

This meal *tastes* restaurant worthy but anyone can make it.  You might be tempted to skip making the cannelloni and substitute a boxed pasta from the store but don’t do it!   It’s the wonderful texture of the crepe-like cannelloni that makes this main dish so ‘melt in your mouth’ good!  This “noodle” recipe (although really more a crepe than a noodle) comes again from one of my favorite food storage recipe books “The Everyday Gourmet” by Shari Haag.  The crab filling and Bechamel sauce were launched from a recipe I found of Giada De Laurentis’.

Serves 5 – 6 (makes 10 cannelloni)

Prep Time:  1 hour

Baking Time:  15 minutes

Ingredients

Cannelloni Noodles

6 TBS whole egg powder

2 3/4 cups water

2 cups flour

1/4 tsp salt

*wax paper needed

Crab filling

3 (6 oz.) cans lump crab meat

1 (6 oz.) jar marinated artichoke hearts

1/8 cup dried basil

scant 1/4 tsp white pepper

salt to taste

1/2 cup parmesan cheese, divided

 Food Storage “ricotta style” cheese filling —  1/2 recipe

2 cups water

1 can evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp. Citric Acid powder

1 1/2 cups powdered milk

1/4 cup parmesan cheese

1/8 tsp. salt

Bechamel Sauce

1/3 cup canned butter (*see note)

1-2 cans whole canned milk (*see note)

1 1/2 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. white pepper

dash freshly grated whole nutmeg

(*clam sauce is pictured to be used as an alternative to Bechamel Sauce though it’s not my first choice)

Instructions

Ricotta Cheese

This is the same cheese filling that I used in my Homemade Cheese Ravioli recipe.  You can find the directions for it here.

Making the noodles

Sift egg powder into a bowl.  Add flour and salt and stir together.  Add water and combine until smooth.  Drop by 1/4 cup portions onto a well greased skillet heated on medium low.  Cook on one side only until dry on the top.  These should not be at all brown or too dry.  To avoid this be sure that your pan is not too hot.  Slide cooked noodle onto a greased plate and separate noodles one by one with wax paper.

Oops — don’t forget the salt!

By 1/4 cup measurements, pour mixture into a heated pan and tilt the skillet to spread thin as if making crepes.  Cook  until dry on the top.

Slide onto a plate, separating each noodle with wax paper to keep from sticking.

Set the plate of noodles aside and allow to cool.

Making the crab filling

In a small bowl reserve the  liquid from the canned crab meat.  In a separate bowl combine the crab meat, chopped artichoke hearts, basil, 1 cup ricotta cheese filling, 1/3 cup parmesan cheese (2 TBS should be set aside for later), salt and  pepper.  Mix all together and set aside.

Chop drained artichoke hearts before adding.

Add ricotta style cheese and 1/3 cup of the parmesan cheese and combine.

Add salt and pepper.  This is the amount that we like.

                                      

Stir all together and set aside.

Making the Bechamel Sauce

Add one can of canned milk to the reserved liquid from the crab meat.  Melt butter.  Meanwhile combine flour, salt, pepper and nutmeg in a small bowl.  After the butter is melted, add the milk mixture and then ladle out some of the combined liquid to mix with the flour mixture.  Whisk flour and liquid together until smooth and then add all into the heating pot.  Stir until sauce thickens.

This is the amount of liquid saved from the crab meat.  Add in 1 can of canned milk.

Melt 1/3 cup butter in a pot and when melted add in the milk mixture.

After whisking some of the milk and butter mixture into the flour mixture, add to the pot and combine.

Stir until sauce thickens.

Assembling the cannelloni to bake

Spread sauce in the bottom of baking pan.  Fill each noodle with uncooked side up.  Place filling in noodles as if rolling a burrito.  Roll up and place seam side down in the baking pan.  Spread some sauce over top and sprinkle remaining parmesan cheese over top.  Bake at 350 for 15 minutes or until hot if using a sun oven and temperature is less.

Bake until hot…

Enjoy!

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Notes:

• I store Red Feather brand canned butter.  I buy it here.  It is expensive but I don’t use it very often.  Until I can find a 100% safe way to can my own butter this is what I’ve decided to use.

• I like the sauce thick so I only use one can of  canned milk.  If you want it thinner you can add more.

• As a 3 month meal I store crab and butter that I’ve  stored in the freezer.

In my book this recipe is used as a:

*Long Term Recipe

*3 month meal

*Sun Oven Meal