Culinary Travel: Sicily Cannoli Desserts

Since we’re off and exploring Sicily, we can’t forget to eat.  Today we’ll skip right to dessert with Sicily’s Traditional cannoli. These are not the ones you’ll find in an American bakery, these are made with Ricotta filling.

Traditional Cannoli Shells
(Makes about 18)

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons shortening
2 eggs, well beaten
2 tablespoons white vinegar
2 tablespoons cold water
1 egg white, slightly beaten
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Directions:

Sift together flour, sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Cut shortening in with a pastry blender until the pieces are the size of small peas. Stir in eggs.  Blend in the vinegar and cold water. Turn dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes. Add additional flour, if needed, to get a smooth dough. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate 30 minutes.

Set out 6 aluminum cannoli tubes. Heat oil in a deep saucepan to 360 degrees F.  Cut an oval shaped pattern from cardboard about 6x4-inches.

Roll chilled dough on a lightly floured surface to 1/8-inch thickness.
Place the cardboard pattern on dough and cut out as many as will fit on the dough. Wrap dough loosely around tubes slightly overlapping opposite ends.

Seal ends by brushing with egg white and pressing together. Fry only as many shells as will float uncrowded in the hot oil. Fry until light golden brown, 3-4 minutes. Remove cannoli shells to paper towels to drain. Cool slightly and remove the tubes.  Cool shells completely. Continue forming and frying cannoli shells.

Using a pastry bag or a small spoon, fill the shells with the filling from both ends.  Do not fill the shells until up to an hour before serving, as the filling will make the shells soggy. Sprinkle ends with reserved chopped pistachio nuts and dust with confectioner’s sugar.

Traditional Ricotta Cannoli Filling

Ingredients:

4-1/2 cups ricotta cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips or candied fruit
1/2 cup pistachio nuts, coarsely chopped
Confectioners sugar for dusting

Directions:

Combine ricotta, sugar, and vanilla.  Beat until smooth.
Stir in chocolate chips or candied fruit.
After filling the cannoli shells, dip the ends in chopped pistachios.
Dust the top of the cannolis with confectioners' sugar.

Alternate Ricotta Filling:
4 cups ricotta cheese and 1/2 cup cream cheese
1 cup sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 - 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped chocolate or candied fruit, if desired

Let Rawhide Travel and Tours help you get there and if you want to stay in comfort rather than camping out we can help. Call us at (602) 843-5100 or visit our website: rawhidetravel.com

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