CANNELLONI IN PIQUILLO
PEPPER AND BRANDY SAUCE
For the sauce:
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
200 g piquillo peppers
2 tbsp olive oil
2 (400-g) tin chopped tomatoes
20 ml brandy
Salt and pepper
For the filling:
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp sweet Spanish smoked
paprika
2 tbsp yeast flakes
120 g textured vegetable
protein (soya meat), fine
300 ml vegetable broth
6 tbsp soy sauce
2 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
5 piquillo peppers
180 g vegan cannelloni tubes
50 g Parmesan-style vegan
cheese (optional)
1 bunch basil
Cannelloni, or canelones as Spaniards call them,
are one of the many pasta dishes that are popular throughout
Spain. Centuries of trade between Italy and Spain saw
Italian immigrants bring this dish with them to Barcelona
in the nineteenth century, from where it would soon
spread all over Spain.
1 Peel and finely chop the onion and garlic. Coarsely
chop the piquillo peppers.
2 Heat the olive oil in a frying pan and sweat the onion
until translucent. Add the garlic and cook together for
1 minute. Add the tomatoes, paprika and brandy, then
stir and bring to the boil. Turn the heat down to low and
simmer for about 20 minutes.
3 Season the sauce with salt and pepper, then transfer to
a blender and finely purée.
4 For the filling: mix the dried herbs and spices with the
yeast and vegetable protein in a bowl. Heat the broth in
a pan and add the soy sauce and Worcestershire sauce.
Pour the liquid over the herb and protein mixture and
leave to soak for 5-10 minutes.
5 Finely chop the peppers and add to the mixture. Mix
well and adjust the seasoning with salt if required.
6 Fill the cannelloni tubes with the mixture.
7 Put two ladles of the sauce in an ovenproof dish and
arrange the cannelloni side by side over it. Cover with the
remaining sauce and, optionally, sprinkle with the cheese.
Bake in the oven, pre-heated to 180°C/350°F/gas 4, for
about 40 minutes.
8 Garnish with fresh basil and serve.
Piquillo Peppers:
This type of pepper is grown in Lodosa, Navarre,
and is widely used in Spanish cuisine. This pepper
is a little smaller than regular peppers and has
an intense red colour and a mild flavour. Piquillo
peppers are available roasted and ready to use in
tins and jars, and they can also be found in
many supermarkets all over Spain and on the
Internet. If you are unable to find them, you
can easily substitute with a roasted red pepper.
No comments yet.