To lovers of food, wine and screen, Silvia Colloca needs no introduction. Milanese-born with a natural flair for home-cooked Mediterranean meals, Silvia’s Selector recipe brings out Barbera’s charms at their best.

Rainbow chard and ricotta cannelloni

Serves: 4–6

Prep time: 45 mins Cook time: 1 hr

Pasta dough

3 eggs

300g ‘00’ flour Semolina for dusting

Filling

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 clove garlic, crushed

2 large bunches of rainbow chard, trimmed, washed, centre vein removed, leaves shredded

300g ricotta

2 eggs, lightly whisked

3/4 cup grated pecorino cheese

½ tsp nutmeg

1 lemon, zested

½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley leaves Sea salt and cracked black pepper

to season

Sauce

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil 1 brown onion, chopped

700ml passata

200ml of hot water

Salt and pepper

½ cup fresh basil leaves, shredded

plus extra to serve

Freshly grated pecorino cheese

to serve

1. Put eggs and flour in the bowl of a food processor. Pulse until it resembles wet sand. Remove. Press it together with your hands and knead it for 1 minute into a smooth ball. Cover in cling wrap and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.

2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic, cook for 30 seconds, add chard and cook for 3 minutes or until just wilted. Set aside to cool.

3. Combine ricotta, eggs, pecorino cheese, nutmeg, lemon zest and parsley. Season with salt and pepper. Add cooled greens.

4. For the sauce: heat oil in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook 3 minutes until soft. Add passata and water, reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes. Season and add basil.

5. Roll the pasta to 2–3 mm thick, either in a pasta machine or with a rolling pin. Cut the pasta into 16 4×10cm rectangles, dust them with semolina flour and set aside (not for too long though, or the pasta will dry out).

6. Spread a few tablespoons of sauce over the base of a 19 x 28cm baking tray or dish. Spoon 2–3 tablespoons of filling along short side of pasta and roll up to enclose. Place seam-side down in baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients until you have 1 layer. Do not overlap. Use two baking dishes if you have leftover ingredients. Cover cannelloni with the sauce so that each roll is well covered. Add some water if you think you don’t have enough sauce.

7. Dust the top with cheese, a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil and bake at 200°C for 30 minutes or until golden. Sprinkle with basil leaves to serve.