Ask the ESL Chefs

[prezbucky]

I suppose this could become the advice center for food-related questions.

The woman (Ex/sort-of-still-my-girlfriend) has told me that she's making ricotta/spinach-stuffed cannelloni with meat sauce tonight for dinner.

She's only made this once and while it was a good dish (overall), the spinach/ricotta mixture was a bit bland.

(She brought it up. I did not concur when she said it, of course, but YEAH, the cheese/spinach stuffing was a tad bland.)

So I ask for advice from anyone who might be able to improve the stuffing:

What should we (well, she) add?

I'm thinking it could be as simple as olive oil and/or garlic powder, but I am out of my depth.

What flavors would go well with the base stuffing mixture of ricotta and spinach?

Thanks in advance,

Tom
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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Yankee]

Those sorts of ricotta mixtures are frequently very bland. A nice touch of garlic sounds good, but what about adding some parmesan, too?
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[prezbucky]

thanks, I'll give it a shot.

does it have to be parmigiana reggiana (expensive as heck here), or will the dried/grated stuff work (already have some in the fridge)?
_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Yankee]

Do you have expensive taste, Tom?

I'd give the fridge version a try. If it doesn't help, at least you'll know better for next time.
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Amy
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ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[prezbucky]

I have expensive taste if someone else is buying. hehe

In this case, I'm the one grabbing the spaghetti sauce and spinach at the store on the way home.


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Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Conchita]

[Yankee]

Hi Conchita

I've been waiting all day for a report on the outcome of Tom's latest culinary adventure. I wonder what happened.

I'd also thought of some onion and freshly ground pepper, but was reluctant to go too hog-wild on the suggestions.

In the US, cottage cheese and ricotta cheese are considered to be two different things -- though I've never really known what the difference actually is (other than a very pronounced difference in the spelling).
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Amy
.
ESL teacher, translator, and a native speaker of American English

[Conchita]

[prezbucky]

Conchita

We'd use onion, but we feed table scraps (lol, she often eats as well as we do... spoiled little bugger) to our dog Molly. Apparently onions do not agree with dogs. I read that on Wikipedia, and since wikipedia is 100% accurate (lol), we've decided to be careful for her sake.

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Amy
The stuffing was greatly improved with the addition of garlic/parmesan(dry/grated)/olive oil. She also beat a couple of eggs into it. At the grocery store I saw some gruyere cheese and thought, "Now that would melt beautifully..."... but then it was like $8 so I decided against such extravagance. hehe

I'm sure it's at least partially out of home-state bias, but the only cheese I'll pay $8 for (unless in bulk...) is a good 5+-year-old Wisconsin cheddar.

Mozzarella does an adequate job of topping the dish.

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Conchita

"Ricottage Pottage Cheese Chips -- we make it in the bathroom so you don't have to."


_________________
Billie Jean is not my lover. Hee.

[Fan of Arabian horses]

Hi!

As I can see Tom?s problem with the a bitbland taste of the spinach souce is solved so I just like to add that in my town had been a small Italian fast-food restaurant where pure fresh spinach (as the owner tried to ensure ) with a good part of garlic scalloped with cheese (what kind ever) had been provided. Additional they gave 6 small rolls of pizza dough. It soon became the town habitant?s favorite dish .

I liked it very much, too, notwithstanding I?ve heard that Italy had had problems with seaweed !

Michael

[Conchita]

[Fan of Arabian horses]

Hi Conchita!

As the owner of the restaurant stems from Sicilly (so, far away from Seveso) I think I can accept the !

Michael