CANNOLI ALLA SICILIANA
Ricotta Filled Cannoli
These simple pastries have such gravitas among the Sicilian people. In fact pasticcerie are often judged on their cannoli, which are widely available in cafes and pastry shops all over Italy. They can be made with a light pastry or a dough flavoured with cocoa, and fried to crisp perfection. When you go to the trouble of making them make a few extra as they keep for up to a week in an airtight container. Fillings are often a variety of flavoured custards but I prefer the traditional filling of ricotta, dried fruit and Maraschino liqueur. If you don’t have metal cannoli moulds a simple piece of dowel, cut into 10 cm lengths, is a great alternative.
Makes Approximately 20
Method
Rub the butter into the flour until sandy in texture, then add the egg, egg yolks and Marsala and knead to a smooth dough. Form the dough into a ball, wrap in plastic film and rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the filling, place the ricotta, mascarpone and sugar in a food processor and blend until they form a smooth paste. Transfer to a large bowl. Add the candied fruit and Maraschino to taste and gently mix to combine.
Pour oil into a deep-fryer or large heavy-based saucepan until two-thirds full and heat to 170°C.
Place the dough on a floured workbench and roll it out to a thickness of 1–2 mm. Using an 11 cm round cutter, cut out about 20 rounds from the dough and wrap them around cannoli moulds, wetting the overlapping area lightly with water. Press to stick.
Working in batches, fry the cannoli in the hot oil for 3–4 minutes or until golden brown, turning them over with a pair of tongs to ensure they colour evenly. Remove from the oil and briefly drain on paper towel. Carefully remove the moulds, then return the cannoli to the oil for 5–10 seconds to cook the inside. Remove and drain on paper towel while you make the rest. Leave to cool completely and store in an airtight container if you’re not using them that day.
Shortly before you are ready to serve, spoon the filling into a piping bag fitted with a 1 cm plain nozzle and fill the cannoli shells from each end. Sprinkle both ends with the chopped pistachios and finish with a dusting of icing sugar.
Ingredients
80 g unsalted butter, chilled
375 g plain flour, plus extra for dusting
1 tablespoon dutch-processed cocoa powder
1 egg
2 egg yolks
½ cup (125 ml) Marsala
Cottonseed or vegetable oil, for deep-frying
70 g shelled pistachios, toasted and finely chopped
Icing sugar, for dusting
Ricotta Filling
300 g fresh ricotta, drained
200 g mascarpone
100 g caster sugar
80 g candied fruit (such as candied peel, clementine and cherries), finely chopped
2 teaspoons Maraschino liqueur, or to taste
