Cannoli Siciliana
Cannoli Siciliana ~ Cannoli are basically crisp, sweet crunchy tubes which are filled with a cream or ricotta cheese filling, often flavored with cocoa, nuts, chocolate, or candied fruits. This is a very traditional recipe for cannoli which are a very popular sweet in Sicily. You will need 3 to 4 metal cannoli tubes to makes these cannoli which are readily available at most kitchen stores. Do not fill the cannoli too far in advance, or they may become soggy. I often add a little chocolate to my filling, but I also like to use a simpler filling of sweetened ricotta flavored just with lemon or orange rind. To finish your cannoli, you can decorate the ends with chopped pistachios or mini chocolate chips.
Buon Appetito!
Deborah Mele 2012
Cannoli Siciliana
Yield: Serves 8
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 20 mins
Cannoli are basically crisp, sweet crunchy tubes which are filled with a cream or ricotta cheese filling, often flavored with cocoa, nuts, chocolate, or candied fruits
Ingredients:
Shells:
2 Cups All-Purpose Flour
2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter Or Shortening
1 Teaspoon Sugar
Dash of Salt
3/4 Cup Marsala Wine
1 Egg White
Vegetable Oil For Frying
Ricotta Filling:
3 Cups Full Fat Ricotta Cheese
1/2 Cup Powdered Sugar
1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla
Optional Filling Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips, or Coarsely Grated Chocolate
6 Tablespoons Mixed Candied Peel
To Garnish Ends:
Mini Chocolate Chips or
Chopped PistachiosDirections:
To make the shells, mix together the flour, butter or shortening, sugar, and salt.
Begin to add the wine, adding enough so that you have formed a fairly firm dough.
Knead for a few minutes until smooth, then form into a ball, wrap in plastic wrap, and let sit at room temperature for one hour. Cut the dough in half, and roll thinly to about a 1/4 inch thickness.
Cut into 4 square, and place a metal diagonally across each square, and wrap the dough around the tube.
Seal the edges with a little beaten egg white.
Heat the oil in a large pan until it reaches a temperature of 375 degrees F.
Drop one or two tubes into the hot oil at one time, and cook until golden. Remove from the pan, cool, and gently slide the cannoli shell from the tube.
Continue to make the rest of the shells in this manner.
To make the filling, first let the ricotta sit in a strainer over a small bowl in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to remove excess water.
Mix the ricotta with the rest of the ingredients.
Chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes.
Fill each cannoli shell carefully, and sprinkle with a little extra powdered sugar if desired.
Decorate ends of cannoli if desired with mini chocolate chips or chopped pistachios.
Chill until you are ready to serve.
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I used the metal tubes for a long time and never was happy with them they stayed greasey and the dough would stick to them sometimes… Then I decided that in the old days my grandmother useed cut up broomsticks so why can’t I use 3/4 inch dowels cut up. They work so much better than the metal ones, no more sticking and they cool off quicker and do not stay greasey… Give it a try you will love them. I also do not use ricotta filling I use a filling made with half & half and everybody goes crazy for them…
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If you don’t want to deal w/the forms to make tubes…you can simply cut the dough into triangles, fry them and use them to scoop up the filling. Sicilian “chips and dip”.
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I would like to find a filling that is not grainy. When I use straight ricotta it seems to come out a little grainy. Nina mentioned (above) that she uses half & half. Would you use part ricotta and then part half & half?
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