Crab Cannelloni

Submitted by Geema

"This recipe uses phyllo dough instead of the usual pasta. I have had this interesting recipe hidden in the recesses of my file folder for more than 25 years and just rediscovered it. What a shame, since it's a fabulous, make ahead dish. Try chicken, or just veggies for an alternate filling."

 

• Ready In: 1hr 10mins
• Ingredients: 11
• Serves: 6

ingredients

• 1⁄2 lb phyllo dough
• 1 cup cooked spinach
• 1 1⁄2 cups ricotta cheese
• 3 green onions, chopped
• 1⁄3 cup grated parmesan cheese
• 1 1⁄2 tablespoons butter
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 2 eggs
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 lb crab or 1/2 lb surimi
• 1⁄4 cup butter, melted

directions

1. Thaw phyllo according to the instructions on the package.
2. Melt the butter in a skillet and saute the garlic for a few minutes, then add the spinach and cook until the spinach is dry.
3. Mix together the rest of the ingredients, except the phyllo and melted butter, folding in the garlic/spinach mix.
4. Cut the phyllo lengthwise into 2 strips, stack and cover with some plastic wrap or a lightly dampened dish towel.
5. For each pastry roll, take 2 strips from the stack and lay them out one on top of the other. Brush the top strip with melted butter. Place about 4 tablespoons of filling at the bottom of the strip.
6. Fold the bottom edge of the phyllo over the filling.
7. Fold the left edge of the phyllo strip over about 1/2 inch and brush with butter. Repeat with the right edge.
8. Now roll up the pastry, egg roll style, stopping halfway through to brush the top with butter, then continue rolling pastry to the end.
9. Place the roll seam side down on a greased baking sheet, brushing the top of the pastry with more butter.
10. The recipe can be made to this point in the morning to be baked and completed that evening.
11. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven until golden brown, about 30 minutes.

Reviews

[bluemoon downunder]

I selected and then made this recipe especially for my mother who adores crab and she loved it. I made the filling exactly to the recipe, except for using 4 cloves of garlic (I pretty well always up the garlic!), only about a ¼ teaspoon of salt, a ½ teaspoon of lemon juice and a ½ teaspoon of fresh dill. The instructions for making cannelloni rolls were so very clear, so I did feel kind of guilty not following them, but I was I keen to modify the recipe so that I could use my new electric pie maker, for the second time. The accompanying booklet recommends using shortcrust pasty for the base and puff pastry for the topping, so that’s what I did. Geema, I promise that next time I make the recipe, I’ll follow the instructions for making cannelloni. Meanwhile, all four of us thoroughly enjoyed these delicious crab, spinach and ricotta pies. I got 8 pies from the ingredients, so there are four more in the freezer. Always satisfying when you have enjoyed a dish so much! Thank you for another fabulous recipe!