Remember the song I’d Do Anything from the musical Oliver? Well while making this recipe I realized that I would obviously do anything for Jamie Oliver, even cook with *gasp* anchovies. If Jamie and I were doing this little duet on a stage in the West End somewhere it might have gone something like this:

[Erin (sung)]
I’ll do anything
For you Jamie anything
For you mean everything to me.

I know that
I’ll cook anything
For your cheeky smile, anything –
For your cheeky smile, ev’rywhere –
I’d see.

[Jamie]
Would you make that cannelloni I banged out on my show the other day?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Chop up broccoli and cauliflower and cook it till it’s mush?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Turn CK’s mouth into a four alarm fire with too many chiles?

[Erin]
Anything!

[Jamie]
Even cook with anchovies?

[Erin]
What? Fish?!
*crickets* I’ll have to think about that…um.  Ok?!
I’d cook anything
For one kiss — everything
Yes, I’d do anything…

[Jamie]
Wow!  Even Fish?! What a brilliant girl!

[Erin]
Anything for you!!

Incredible Baked Cauliflower and Broccoli Cannelloni
Originally included in the cookbook Jamie at Home scheduled to be published on September 16, 2008

Sea salt
1 pound broccoli, washed, florets and stalks chopped
1 pound romanesco or white cauliflower, washed, florets and stalks chopped
Olive oil
7 cloves garlic, peeled and finely sliced
1 small bunch fresh thyme, leaves picked
1 (1-ounce) can best-quality anchovies in oil, drained and chopped, oil reserved
2 to 3 small dried chiles, crumbled (Note: I used 4 because Jamie used 4 on the episode.  It was seriously spicy, which I was OK with, but you should probably stick to 2 or 3).
Freshly ground black pepper
2 cups good-quality tomato sauce
Good-quality red wine vinegar
2 cups creme fraiche
7 ounces Parmesan, finely grated
16 cannelloni tubes
1 small bunch fresh basil, leaves picked
7 ounces good-quality mozzarella cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil
4 large handfuls arugula leaves, washed and dried
1 lemon

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Bring a large saucepan of salted water to the boil and drop in the chopped broccoli and cauliflower. Boil for 5 to 6 minutes, until cooked, then drain in a colander, reserving the cooking water.Heat a wide saucepan, pour in a couple of good glugs of olive oil and add the garlic. Fry for a few seconds, then add the thyme leaves, anchovies, anchovy oil and chiles and continue frying for a few seconds more before adding the cooked broccoli and cauliflower with around 4 tablespoons of the reserved cooking water. Stir everything together, put a lid on the pan leaving a little gap, and cook slowly for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring regularly - overcooking the vegetables not only intensies their flavor but gives you the texture that you need for this recipe. Remove the lid for the last 5 minutes to let the moisture evaporate, then use a potato masher to crush the vegetables. Take the saucepan off the heat, taste the vegetables and season carefully with salt and pepper. Spread the mixture on a baking sheet to cool. Meanwhile, get yourself another baking dish or roasting pan (the right size for fitting the cannelloni tubes snugly side by side - I test this by actually laying the tubes into the dish, then remove them and put to 1 side) and pour in the tomato sauce with a pinch of salt and a swig of red wine vinegar.

Now, to make a really quick and easy white sauce, mix the creme fraiche with half the Parmesan, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and a little of the reserved cooking water to thin it down.

Spoon your cooled broccoli and cauliflower mixture into a large sandwich bag and cut off the corner. Twist the top of the bag and squeeze it to pipe the filling into the cannelloni tubes. (If you prefer, use a teaspoon to push the mixture into the cannelloni or use a piping bag.) Fill the tubes up - don’t be stingy! - and place them in a single layer on top of the sauce. Lay the basil leaves over the cannelloni and spoon your white sauce evenly over the top. Season with black pepper, sprinkle over the remaining Parmesan and tear over the mozzarella. Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil and bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, or until golden and bubbling on top.

Dress the arugula leaves with a squeeze of lemon juice and about 3 times as much extra- virgin olive oil. Serve the cannelloni with the arugula and some good crusty bread.

Donald tagged me for this “meme” at the beginning of the month and I politely declined, and then it went viral and the whole world started posting their five random facts. Since then, I’ve been tagged by Amy at Eggs on Sunday, The Frantic Home Cook, and Sarah from Sweets by Sarah. It’s very flattering actually, so thank you all! This is way better than being picked last in gym class.

So in no particular order:

I was a “band geek.” I played the flute for 9 years, and haven’t touched it since I graduated from High School. My favorite song to play was Ashokan Farewell, the theme song from Ken Burns’s documentary on The Civil War. I absolutely hated this song called Malagueña. The other day someone was playing it on a guitar in the subway and I wanted to run away screaming.

When I was a kid I would literally watch Annie or The Sound of Music every single day. In kindergarten I got in trouble for singing “How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria” when we were supposed to be walking quietly through the hallways to the library. Way to squelch my Musical Theater aspirations!

I really want a Pembroke Welsh Corgi puppy. You know, the cute one that doesn’t have a tail and is always seen frolicking merrily with the Queen of England. Chris and I are ridiculous and sometimes we’ll watch YouTube videos of playful Corgi’s and “ohh and ahh” while thinking up hypothetical names.  Elle, from Elle’s New England Kitchen has two Corgis that are absolutely gorgeous.   If Elle has two, I should be able to have one tiny little puppy, right?

My favorite book isn’t highbrow at all. It’s a novel called Cinnamon Wharf by Janice Young Brooks. The main character, Mary, is adopted as a child by the Beechams. The Beechams are Spice Merchants and the patriarch, George, regales Mary with stories of the spice trade. Of course romance and intrigue ensue. Highlights of the story include a steamy trip to Singapore, a sprawling manor house called “Castlemere,” and secrets galore. It’s mindless good fun and apparently out of print so you’ll have to pick up a used copy online.

One of my first kitchen disasters took place when I was 13. My HomeEc teacher (they called it something much more politically correct but the title escapes me) gave us a handout full of recipes to try at home on our own time. We’d been diligently baking orange muffins for the last few weeks so I felt confident that I was up to the challenge. The recipe I chose to prepare was for Bran Flake Pizza crust. It came out dense and rather disgusting, but I still ate it slathered with mozzarella and tomato sauce from a jar, probably while watching Teen Witch on HBO. No one else would touch it.

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And now I tag:
Blake from Blake Makes
Madeline at Everything Rachael Ray
Lindsay from Love and Olive Oil
Hänni at Hannihaus
Dylan from a Brit Out of Water

“5 Thing” Meme Rules:
1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 5 facts about yourself
3. Tag 5 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they’ve been tagged by leaving a comment at their Blogs.
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