Spinach and Ricotta Cannelloni

In Italy, cannelloni is the equivalent of the Sunday roast dinner. It takes an hour and a a half to make and cook, but it's the family dinner that everyone looks forward to.

Traditionally its made with meat but the spinach and ricotta version is becoming more popular. Not only is it tasty, its good for the whole family too. Spinach gives you strength – as we all know from watching Popeye – and the cheesy ricotta is good for their bones as well as their taste buds.

This is now a firm favourite on the menu when we have dinner parties at home. I always serve it with a crunchy salad but have learnt to make double the amount I need – because every guest has seconds.

There's no need to do any washing up as everyone – including my two little ones – clean their plates!

Taste rating 5/5

Difficulty rating 3/5

What you'll need (to serve four)

1 box dried cannelloni (it will have between 27 and 32 inside)
2 bags of spinach leaves (about 1 kilo spinach)
250gms ricotta
I egg
1 onion
1 garlic clove
2 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 box passata (500gms)
30gms butter
100 gms parmesan or cheddar cheese if you prefer
1 carton extra thick double cream (300 ml)


How to make it!

1.Wash the spinach leaves and add to 2 litres of salt water. After four minutes drain the spinach and leave on the side to cool.

2.Add two tablespoons of olive oil into a saucepan and place on a medium heat. Finely chop the onion and garlic and fry in the oil for one minute until softened. Pour in the passata and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add a quarter of a glass of water to thin the mixture. Stir occasionally over a low heat and leave to simmer for 20 minutes until the sauce is smooth and slightly thick.

3.Once the spinach is cooled, roughly chop and place in a bowl and stir in the ricotta. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste and crack one egg into the mixture. Stir the egg in.

4.Grease a baking tray. Now it's the fun bit – filling the cannelloni with the spinach and ricotta mixture. If you're feeling brave get your kids to help! The quickest (and cleanest) way to do it is fill an icing bag (bought from any supermarket) and pipe the mixture into the dried cannelloni. Hold each tube in one hand and pipe until tit's full right to the end. If you don't have a bag, put the mixture onto a teaspoon and spoon it into the cannelloni – this is a messy but fun job!

5.Place a thin layer of the passata sauce in the baking tray and place the cannelloni onto it, making sure each cannelloni is touching the next one.

6.Once the tray is full (which is usually two rows of cannelloni tightly packed in), layer the rest of the passata over the top, then drizzle the cream over the top, and add a sprinkle of parmesan or cheddar cheese (we always put loads as we're cheesy!).

7.For the best result, cover with cling film and place in fridge for a couple of hours to 'rest' them. The dried pasta will then absorb the sauces and be even tastier.

8.Remove cling film and place in the middle of the oven at 200 o C (gas mark 6) for 40 minutes. Check after 30 minutes and turn down heat if bubbling. You want it be golden and crispy on the top but not burnt!

9.Remove from oven and serve with a crispy salad. Enjoy!

Chicken Rustico

Most children love chicken and this is a dish with a twist. It's cooked with carrots, olives, celery and rosemary so there's plenty of goodness without them even realising they're eating their 5 a day.
This is my grandmother's recipe and fills your kitchen with the most gorgeous aroma that'll make your little ones hungry for dinner.
Chicken Rustico is cheap, easy to make and is perfect for everyday or a dinner party as it's all in the preparation. You can then take it to the table and serve with bread to mop up the sauce. Delicious!
It's even tastier the second day so make sure you and your children don't eat it all in one go!

Taste rating – 5 out of 5
Difficulty rating – 2 out of 5

You will need: (to serve four)

Fresh chicken legs (enough for one or two each)
One carrot
Two sticks celery
100gms Black Olives
25gms Rosemary (use dried if you don't have any)
25gms Thyme
Three Bay leaves
Three garlic cloves
Two tablespoon olive oil
100 ml Chicken stock (or knock chicken stock cube)
400gms passata

How to make it:
1. Peel the carrot and chop in half lengthways, and chop the celery in half too.

2. Pour olive oil into large saucepan and put onto medium heat.

3. Put the bay leaves, rosemary,thyme, carrot and celery immediately into the oil, cook for five minutes, stirring occasionally to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan.

4. Add the chicken legs, stir and put the lid on the saucepan and leave for eight to ten minutes until the chicken is white, with no pink showing. Stir occasionally.

5. Boil 100ml of water in a kettle, once boiled pour into jug and add stock cubs, stirring until it's dissolved.

6. Into the chicken pan, add the finely chopped garlic , stir, and once it's cooked for 30 seconds, add in 100ml of chicken stock.

7. Turn heat up to max, leave the lid off and stir occasionally while the stock reduces. You should be left with an inch of thick, tasty sauce.

8. Pour in the passata, add the black olives and bring to the boil.

9. Turn down heat and simmer for 15 – 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Serve immediately with sliced baguette or garlic bread. Yummy – just like Daddy Makes!

Spaghetti With Meatballs

Every child loves eating spaghetti – especially with their friends. Just remember that classic scene in The Lady and The Tramp, which was of course in an Italian restaurant, and you can see the appeal.
Chasing long, skinny pasta covered in tomato sauce is fun as well as tasty. Add in a meatball or two and you've got a guaranteed favourite.
It's also great to make and quick. Fifteen minutes later and there's an authentic dish of pasta for you and your little ones to enjoy.
It's filling but I bet there won't be any left overs!

What you'll need:

250 gm lean mincemeat to roll into meatballs (but every supermarket sells fresh ones that are just as good!)
I packet spaghetti (cook approx 50gm per child)
I stick celery
Half a carrot
Half an onion
Olive oil
Parmesan to garnish
400gms passata

How long it will take to make – 15 minutes

Difficulty rating – easy

How to make it

1. Fill large saucepan three quarters full of water and put on to boil. Drop in the dried spaghetti and cook
2. Meanwhile finely chop onion, carrots and celery
3. Heat two tablespoons olive oil on a medium heat in a frying pan
4. Add the onion and cook until soft and slightly golden, add the carrots followed by celery
5. Stir the mixture for one or two minutes
6. Roll the mincemeat into balls (you choose how big you want them) and drop them into the frying pan along with the onion mixture
7. Cook for around five to seven minutes until they are cooked all over – you'll need to keep moving them to ensure they're evenly cooked
8. Add the passata in with the meatballs, turn up the heat and keep stirring occasionally until the sauce begins to bubble
9. Turn down the heat and simmer for five minutes. Your sauce is now ready, so turn it off if your spaghetti isn't cooked but it should all be done if you've timed it right.
Don't overcook the spaghetti – it should still be al dente. Don't throw it at the wall as you English love to do to see if it's cooked. This is a myth. If it sticks it's overcooked!
10. Drain the pasta (not through cold or hot water and don't use any oil).
11. Throw the pasta into the meat ball sauce and mix it – with the heat back on to medium – so that it's piping hot and every strand of spaghetti is covered with the sauce.
12. Serve into bowls and sprinkle parmesan over the top to taste.
Mmm – have a napkin handy because if your child is anything like mine they'll soon be wearing their dinner!

Pesto pasta with prawns

Fish, olive oil and basil are all fresh, tasty ingredients that literally feed your little one's brain power as well as their appetites.
All you need for this simple, popular dish is ten minutes and at least one little chef who will love literally throwing the ingredients into a pan.
My seven-year-old son is the fussiest eater going, but he begs me to cook this at least once a week as he adores tucking into the prawns.
It usually ends up with a fight at the dinner table when his two-year-old sister tries to steal them off his plate. So make sure you plenty to go around!

What you'll need:

250 gms fresh/frozen peeled King prawns
Packet of Linguine/Spaghetti
Small box of cherry tomatoes
Five tablespoons olive oil
70gms Basil
Salt and pepper
1 garlic clove
Parmesan cheese

Preparation Time: 10 minutes

Difficulty rating: Easy peasy!

Feeds 4

How to make:
1. Fill a large saucepan with slightly salted water and bring to the boil
2. Wash basil and place in a bowl with five tablespoons of olive oil an garlic clove. Using a hand blender, blend it into a liquid
3. Empty the pasta into the boiling water, then drizzle two tablespoons of olive oil into a frying pan and put on a low heat. Check on packet how long the pasta has to be cooked. Do not over cook - Italian pasta needs to be al dente
4. Chuck the prawns into the frying pan and cook until golden and crispy
5. Two minutes before the pasta's ready, chop the cherry tomatoes in half and chuck them into the frying pan with the prawns
6. Drain the pasta, then add it to the frying pan along with the prawns and tomatoes. Pour the basil pesto over the top and mix. Sprinkle parmesan over the top and cook for a further minute on full heat.
7. Serve and eat!

Tasty Stuffed Tomatoes

Tomatoes are at the heart of Italian cooking. They're cheap, easy to cook and full of flavour.

My kids love pasta pomodoro but they also love these tasty stuffed tomatoes. This is the easiest recipe ever. Even if you've never cooked before, all you need for this is a hand blender and tablespoon.

It's all in the preparation. I ask my little chef - my seven-year-old son - to help me stuff the tomatoes. He loves that job, even if he does end with as much stuffing on the floor as he does in the tomatoes.

Better still, it's a sneaky way to get your children to eat veg. I often cook the peas and hide them in the stuffing mixture so they don't even know they're eating their greens.

'Mmmmm,' my two-year-old girl will say, and even my fussy son will polish off the lot. Enjoy!

You will need

4 Beef Tomatoes

1 clove garlic

30gms fresh parsley

6 tablespoon arborio rice (measure before cooking)

Handful of frozen/tinned/fresh garden peas

Salt and pepper

Oven chips (frozen)

Preparation time - two hours (but only 10 minutes of that is doing anything!)

Difficulty rating - easy! The kids can help you do the only fiddly bit - stuffing the tomatoes.

How to make:

1. Using a very sharp knife cut the top off each tomato to use later as a lid (cut half inch down from the root). Sprinkle some salt inside and place upside down on a tray to drain out all the moisture.

2. Scoop out the insides of the tomatoes using a tablespoon and put the mixture into a bowl

3. Blend the mixture, using a hand blender, until it's like soup - creamy with no lumps

4. Finely chop the garlic, parsley and add, along with the dried rice (not cooked), and a pinch of salt and pepper into the soupy mixture. Cover the bowl with cling film and leave in the fridge for a few hours. The longer you can leave it the more flavour the mixture will have.

5.After at least two hours, remove the mixture from the fridge. Preheat oven to 180 C, Gas 4. Use a tablespoon to stuff the tomatoes with the mixture - fill up to the top. Place the 'lid' back on the tomatoes (complete with root) and place in the oven, on a baking tray. Drizzle olive oil over the top of the tomatoes.

6. Cook at 180 C, Gas 4, for 30 minutes. Ten minutes before the end of the cooking time, pop the oven chips into the oven to cook until golden brown.

7. Serve with oven chips, and garden peas. My kids like it with carrots too. Pour the juice of the tomatoes from the baking tray over the top for a yummy sauce. You can eat everything except the stalk!

Serve hot or cold.