Waiting For Weekends

A week of late nights at work and poor James is eating left overs. Not ideal. I had to use a little weekend time to be prepare for the coming week's long hours. First up, butternut squash cannelloni with fried sage. Though I shudder to admit it, a recipe from Martha Stewart Living that went over pretty darn well around here.

I half boiled lasagna noodles (I didn't have the extra wide ones Martha recommends. I fished the noodles out of the pot and boiled 1" cubes of butternut quash in the same water for about 10 minutes. Meanwhile I sautéed 2 chopped shallots in olive oil until nice and soft but not browned. When the squash was I mashed the squash, the shallots, and a splash of milk into a chunky paste flavored with chopped sage, S&P, and a hint of nutmeg. I divided the paste between the lasagna noodles and rolled each up and place it in the baking dish. When all the rolls were placed in the dish I mixed one large container (15 oz) of ricotta cheese, about 1/2 cup shredded parmesan, with 1/4 cup of milk, salt and pepper, and spread the mixture over the waiting cannelloni. I topped the dish with a good quantity of shredded parmesan. After 25 minutes in a 350º oven the cannelloni when were warmed, and after a few minutes with the oven on broil to get a bit of extra color on the dish, ready to be topped with the fresh sage leaves I quickly fried as a garnish.