Salmon, Leek and Tarragon Cannelloni. Amazing.

We had a dinner party last night so I bought some cannelloni and got creative with tinned salmon.  Now before you think I'm a cheapskate, salmon out here is insanely expensive and I think it is important to know a few easy, cheap-ish, store-cupboard dinner party recipes in this time of austerity...

Anyway you'd never believe the meal was essentially dried pasta tubes and tinned salmon.  It tasted divine, the whole lot disappeared and it defiantly had the wow factor for a mid-week dinner party.  And best of all you can assemble the whole lot 24 hours in advance and then just pop it in the oven 30-40 minutes before serving.

Ingredients (makes 28 tubes)

For the cannelloni

5 tins of salmon (212 g), drained
500 g marscapone cheese
3 lemons, zest only
a large knob of butter
 6 leeks, whites only, 1 cm slices
4 tsp dried tarragon
a large handful fresh fennel or dill fronds, finely chopped
salt and black pepper
28 dried cannelloni tubes (ones that don't need pre-cooking)
butter for greasing

For the bechamel sauce

100 g butter
100 g flour
1.2 litres whole milk
200 g mature cheddar
grated nutmeg
2 large handfuls grated parmesan for sprinkling

Method

1. Remove the salmon from the tins and spend time discarding any bones or skin.
2. Heat a little butter in a frying pan, add the leeks and cook over a moderate heat until softened.  Stir in the tarragon.

3. Mix the leeks and all the cannelloni ingredients (bar the tubes) together with the salmon.

4. Butter a shallow ovenproof dish that is large enough to take 28 tubes.
5. Spoon the salmon mixture into the tubes...

...and lay them down in the dish side by side.

6. Heat the oven to 190C if you are going to cook them immediately.
7. Now make the bechamel.  Melt the butter in a large saucepan then add the flour, stirring for 1 minutes.  Gradually add the milk, stirring all the while until combined.  Bring to the boil then remove from the heat, making sure you stir well to stop the bottom catching. Stir in the cheese, season with pepper and a little grated nutmeg then poor over the cannelloni tubes.

8. Sprinkle over the parmesan and pop in the oven for 40 minutes, or until bubbling and golden, or allow to cool and keep in the fridge until your guests arrive.

So very yummy.