Friday, February 8, 2013

A Secret -- and Cannelloni


I've been keeping a secret for a few months . . . . not a really big secret  (Like my book is coming out next month! --  I wish!)

It's just a little secret . . . . I've been teaching a neighbor boy how to cook.  He just turned 8, but he was 7 when we started last summer. Every two weeks, he comes to my house after school and we cook together for a couple hours in my little kitchen.  And we have a ball.

At first, we were both a little tentative, but before long we were acting every bit the grandmother and grandkid we looked like together. We joke some, I nod approvingly when he measures correctly, he teases. We cook good stuff and we have good fun.

Wyatt  loves to bake. And although baking's not my strongest suit in the kitchen, I can definitely handle the basics. (We won't be making puff pastry anytime soon.) The biggest plus about baking with a child, for me anyhow,  is that, for the most part, knives aren't involved  Soon enough for that. For now, if we need to chop something -- like onions for meatballs -- we use my mini-chopper.

We have made a variety of great food -- cupcakes, cookies, meatballs, breaded chicken, pizza, Oreo truffles. Our goal is usually to make something he can take home for dinner that he made as well as a dessert or a treat he can share with friends at school the next day. And something that's manageable in under two hours.

The breaded chicken was different to me.  I learned his mother was gluten-free and we tried something she steered me to: using crushed rice Chex cereal as the coating. It was great!

We've had a couple minor accidents: He dropped an egg on the floor;  I dropped a tray of just baked cookies. Once, while cleaning up, he pretty much sprayed my window above the sink as much as the dishes.

I wasn't looking for a cooking student. It was his mother's idea. She knew I had been a teacher, that I wrote a food column for the local paper, and that I had this blog. And I was nearby.

And her son likes to cook.  She reasoned that her older son was taking music lessons and golf lessons. Why not find a teacher for what her middle son liked to do? Makes perfect sense. Although she herself likes to cook, she has a job, two other kids and this little arrangement provides her son something that's just for him. I'm impressed by her original thinking.

One of the main dishes we made was stuffed shells.  We stuffed the shells with a sausage and cheese fiilling using a recipe from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy.


There was plenty of filling for two dozen stuffed shells. And we didn't scrimp on stuffing them either. So I was left with filling and no shells. So the next day, I made crepes and we had cannelloni instead.  Same filling, different container.

Sausage and Cheese Cannelloni
adapted from Sticky, Gooey, Creamy

1 dozen crepes* (click here for my recipe)
1 pound sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed
2 tablespoons olive oil
16-ounces whole milk ricotta
2 cups shredded mozzarella, divided
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons minced, fresh, flat-leaf parsley
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
4 cups prepared marinara sauce, homemade or jarred

Preheat oven to 375 F.  
Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat.  Crumble the sausage into the skillet and fry until lightly browned.  Using a wooden spoon, break the meat into small bits as it cooks.  
Combine cooked sausage, ricotta, 1 cup mozzarella, 1/2 cup Parmesan, eggs, parsley, salt and pepper together in a large bowl and mix well.
Pour enough marinara sauce in a 9×13 baking dish to cover the bottom of the dish, about 1 1/2 cups.  Place about 2 tablespoons of filling down the middle of each crepe. Fold the side over and place, seam side down, on top of the sauce.  Ladle the rest of the marinara on top.  Sprinkle with the rest of the mozzarella and Parmesan, cover with foil and bake until bubbly, about 30-35 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue to bake for another 10-15 minutes, until the cheese is gooey and melted and begins to brown.  Remove and let stand about 10 minutes before serving.

* Crepes are time consuming and are a definite "do-ahead" in my book. You can make them the day before, keep them separated by squares of waxed paper, and place in the fridge. Or you can stack them and store them (again, separated by waxed paper) in the freezer for up to 3 months. Just thaw some before using.

50 comments:

  1. That is so sweet! It's great to see a kid actually interested in cooking in these days of fast food. You might be training a star chef!

    This reminds me of how my mother made a similar recipe for years. Crepes are more work than buying pre-made pasta tubes, but are so worth it!

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    1. You're right about the pre-made tubes. They always seemed so cardboardy to me! The little guy and I have a good time.

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  2. That's so lovely!! sounds like you both really love the process - and this cannelloni looks out of this world delicious!! bookmarked and I think I may try this tonight!!
    mary x

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    1. Hope you do try it, Mary. It really is one of my all time favorites. I never seem to tire of sausage, cheese and pasta -- in a variety of forms!

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  3. that must be so much fun, and the food looks great

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    1. Wait til your kids are old enough to really cook with you!

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  4. Rosemary, that is do sweet. He will always remember you and the influence you gave him to dare to cook and bake. Boys need to learn to cook. You gave given him a good variety also.

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    1. Thanks, Susan. Wait till we get to chopping veggies! I hope he remembers more than me dropping the tray of cookies!

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  5. Oh, wow...thinking of you teaching Wyatt just warms my heart! Such fun for you both. And my next stuffed shells will have your yummy sausage filling :)

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    1. It's sure a lot more fun than I imagined, Liz. I really look forward to our sessions and am sorry when I've had to postpone.

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  6. These are making my mouth water and I just ate good lord those are awesome!

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    1. I think as much as I love all Italian food, cannelloni are my favorite, Claudia. Having your own roasted tomato sauce helps, too.

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  7. Now you have me thinking how much I would love to have a cooking student. What fun to recreate dishes in the kitchen with n eager student.

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    1. You're right, Val, the fact that he's eager makes it fun. You should try it.

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  8. that is so sweet and how knows he could grow up to the the next best chef

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  9. That's really sweet !
    The recipe looks so good !

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    1. It is one of my favorite dishes . . . and we had fun making it.

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  10. That's really sweet (and patient) of you, Rosemary.
    The cannelloni looks so delicious! Sausage and cheese are always fantastic together.

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    1. SOmetimes I wonder about my patience, Angie! But I am sure about the cannelloni.

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  11. That is the sweetest thing ever my friend, too too cute :D
    This dish looks like Italian heaven :D

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

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    1. One day maybe I'll put up a picture of the budding chef, CCU!

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  12. What a wonderful adventure for both of you, Angie.He is fortunate to have youfor a teacher. The cannelloni looks delicious. I hope your week is off to a good start. Have a great day.Blessings...Mary

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    1. Sometimes the best things are unplanned aren't they, Mary? I feel lucky that this happy adventure fell into my lap -- and that I didn't say no!

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  13. I love the idea of teaching something you enjoy like cooking to a young person-makes the everyday chore of making dinner into an adventure-sounds good to me;-) Your cannelloni does look like a wonderful dinner. I love Italian food, especially pasta ;-)

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  14. How fun and how delicious! I know Wyatt will remember you all his life, so sweet.

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    1. I hope he remembers more than, "yeah, she was the one who dropped the tray of cookies!"

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  15. I love this Rosemary. When my children were little we cooked together all of the time and we have some wonderful memories. I even went to a pie competition with my son in New York when he was 10. We didn't win, but we had a great time. Your recipe looks wonderful. I can't wait to try it.

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    1. Creating memories is just one of the reasons I like to cook. I'm really enjoying this little adventure, Karen.

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  16. Some of my happiest childhood memories were spent in the kitchen, Rosemary. What a wonderful friendship for you both and what a great skill you are passing on to your new pal. Delicious!

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    1. Although I learned a lot from my mother as a child, I wonder how much more I would have learned if I had taken cooking lessons (instead of dance!)

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  17. Rosemary, that's fabulous that you're teaching your young neighbor how to cook--what a gift to him! This cannelloni looks delectable.

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    1. He's a pretty cool kid, a little mischievous, but he's genuinely interested in cooking. Loves it. That makes teaching easy.

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  18. How sweet:) I baked with my 5 yr old grandson Sunday..he loves it too..
    Just found you..the recipe looks so good.

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    1. I hope they don't grow out of it. Glad you found me . . . I found you, too. You made fortune cookies?!?!?

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  19. Canneloni is one of my five most favorite foods so this kid is very lucky to be learning to make it at such a young age. I love that you are taking the time to spend with him. You both benefit!

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    1. I think I could come up with more fillings for cannelloni . . just love it. And I'm sure growing a soft spot for my little student, Linda.

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  20. Hi Rosemary! What a fun thing to do! That little boy is so lucky. And this cannelloni looks delicious! Thank you for sharing with me. I hope you had a fabulous week, and I hope your weekend brims with good food, laughter, and love.

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    1. Just wait till your baby is old enough for you to show him/her how to bake your treats and bread,

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  21. What fun for both of you. You have inspired me to make crepes and this lovely dish.

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    1. When I make crepes,Penny, I usually try to make too many so I can freeze them. (You know the first crepe, often like any pancake isn't very good!)

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  22. I am just so pleased to read this post! What a fun opportunity for both of you! You've made my day, Rosemary! Oh ... and the cannelloni look divine!

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    1. It is fun, Susan. One of these days, maybe I'll share pictures of the little guy. (I just got him an apron with his name on it.)

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  23. Oh Rosemary....you have no idea how much I enjoyed reading this post! You are such a wonderful person. How fabulous that he has an interest in cooking at such a young age. And what a great team you sound to be in the kitchen! I wish I were your neighbor, because I could use a lesson or two from you as well. Your cannelloni look awesome! I look forward to seeing what the two of you cook up in the future! : )

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    1. Thanks, Anne. I think I could learn a thing or three from you! It is fun when someone wants to learn; and sharing something you love to do with a young person is precious.

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  24. Rosemary, your canneloni is absolutely divine...perfect, and delicious. Such a gift your giving to the sweet young neighbor boy that I can see his future as an amazing Chef. My little grandson, age 6, almost 7 has been hanging around in the kitchen with me and my daughter wanting to help and is so very interested in learning as well...his dad is an executive chef with his own Northern Italian restaurant and wants to be just like 'daddy'!

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    1. It's great to see young people interested in cooking. What a mentor your grandson has!

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  25. What a nice project to undertake...I'm sure he looks forward to each lesson. Your cannelloni sound delicious. Making them with crepes is the best, I think as they are so light.

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  26. Isn't it a great feeling to teach another (especially a precious young loved one) about something that you're so passionate about? He'll always cherish these times with you Rosemary! I love this cannelloni recipe too, the photos are just perfect!

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