Sicilian Cannoli

La storia di questo piatto

Cannoli are Sicily distilled into a single gesture: a dark, shattering shell cradling sweet sheep's-milk ricotta, the island's pastures and its sugared patience held in one hand. Bronte pistachio and candied orange crown the ends like small jewels of the Sicilian sun.

Ingredienti

• 250 g Type 00 flour
• 50 g Cold butter
• 50 ml Dry Marsala
• 1 piece Egg
• 20 g Pastry sugar
• 3 g Salt
• 500 g Fresh sheep's milk ricotta
• 250 g Icing sugar
• 150 g Dark chocolate chips
• 50 g Candied orange peel
• 1500 ml Peanut oil for frying
• 30 g Chopped Bronte pistachios
• 8 g Unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 piece Egg white (for sealing)
• 1 g Ground cinnamon (optional, for the filling)
• 12 piece Metal cannoli tubes (tool, about 12 pieces, lightly greased)

Preparazione

1. The night before, or at least 4-12 hours before preparing the filling, place the ricotta in a sieve set over a bowl, cover it, and let it drain in the refrigerator: all the whey must drain off, otherwise the filling stays runny and softens the shell right away. For the dough, mix the flour with the cocoa and salt in a bowl, then add the cold butter in pieces and rub it in with your fingers until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Add the egg, sugar and Marsala. Stir with a fork, then work by hand until you have a firm, elastic dough with no lumps. Wrap it in cling film and rest it in the refrigerator for 30-60 minutes: the butter stays cold and the dough can be rolled very thin without tearing.
2. Roll the dough to 1-1.5 mm thick, almost translucent: for the best result, pass it through a pasta machine several times, or use a rolling pin on a lightly floured surface, working small amounts at a time and keeping the rest in the refrigerator. Cut circles 10-11 cm in diameter with a pastry cutter or a small plate. Lightly grease the metal tubes. Place a tube on the centre of a circle and wrap the dough around it, overlapping the edges by about 1 cm. Brush the edge with a little egg white and press to seal. Repeat with all the circles and arrange them on a tray with the seam facing down.
3. Pour the oil into a deep pot (at least 20 cm deep) and heat it over medium-high heat to 175-180 °C, checking with a kitchen thermometer. Carefully lower 2-3 cannoli at a time, still on the tubes, using tongs: the tubes get very hot. Fry for 1-2 minutes per side, turning them, until the shell is golden and covered with the characteristic small bubbles. Drain with tongs and place on paper towels. When they are lukewarm to the touch, gently slide each shell off the tube, twisting it slightly. Let the shells cool completely: they can be prepared in advance and stored in a tin box.
4. Pass the well-drained ricotta through a fine-mesh sieve, pushing it with a spoon until smooth. Sift the icing sugar over it and fold gently, adding a pinch of cinnamon if you like. Fold in the chopped dark chocolate and the finely diced candied orange peel, mixing with gentle movements from the bottom upwards. The pistachios do not go into the filling: they are only for decorating the ends. Keep the filling in the refrigerator until ready to fill.
5. Only at the moment of serving, with the shells completely cold, transfer the filling to a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Fill each cannolo starting from one end towards the centre, then from the other, until well filled. Decorate both ends with the chopped pistachios, pressing lightly so they stick.
6. Serve the cannoli immediately after filling them, while the shell is still crisp and the filling cold and velvety. They should be eaten the same day: over time the moisture from the ricotta softens the shell and it loses its characteristic crunch. The quantities given make about 12 cannoli, i.e. 3 per person for 4 people.