Quick Cannoli, or Cannoli Spicci: If you lack the patience to make cannoli following the traditional recipe, this recipe will yield about 40 cannoli.
Prep Time: 60 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Ingredients:
- ** For The Shells **
- 4 1/5 cups (500 g) flour
- 1/3 cup (60 g) sugar
- 2/3 cup (60 g) unsalted butter
- 1 ounce (25 g) cocoa powder
- 2 whole eggs
- Half a glass of Marsala (a rich Sicilian fortified wine)
- 1 teaspoon ground espresso coffee
- Lard (for frying; you can use oil)
- A pinch of salt
- ** For The Filling **
- 2 1/4 pounds (1 k) fresh ricotta
- 7 cups (700 g) powdered sugar (the kind without starch)
- A few drops vanilla extract
- 8 ounces (200 g) candied melon rind, finely diced
- 6 ounces (150 g) bitter chocolate, crumbled
- 40 candied cherry halves and 4 bit of candied orange peel
- A half cup (have more handy) minced pistachio nuts.
Preparation:
To make the shells, prepare the ingredients following the main recipe, and after letting the dough rest, divvy it up into 40 equal pieces. Roll them out into 3 by 4-inch (7.5 by 10 cm) squares, roll them up around lightly greased cannolo forms, brushing the edges with beaten egg before you tamp them down, and fry them a few at a time in hot fat until they're a pretty mahogany brown.
Drain the fried shells on absorbent paper, and then carefully work them free. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag without a nozzle (you just want an opening) and fill the shells, decorating them with the candied cherries, orange peel, and pistachios. Dust the filled cannoli with powdered sugar and they're ready.
Drain the fried shells on absorbent paper, and then carefully work them free. Spoon the filling into a pastry bag without a nozzle (you just want an opening) and fill the shells, decorating them with the candied cherries, orange peel, and pistachios. Dust the filled cannoli with powdered sugar and they're ready.
