posted by SueA 03-30-101 8:16 AM
The Kitchen Link
Cannoli alla Siciliana
Pastry Shells:
3 cup Sifted pastry flour
1/2 tsp. Cinnamon
1/4 tsp. Salt
2 large Eggs
2 tbl. Melted butter
1/4 cup Sugar
2 tbl. Warm water
2 tbl. White dry wine
1 pt. Oil
3 tbl. Chopped pistachio nuts
1/2 cup Powdered or confectioner's sugar
Filling:
1 1/2 lb Ricotta cheese or American pot cheese
3 tbl. Mild honey or 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup Milk
1 tbl. Orange-flower water or almond extract
1 tbl. Diced citron
2 tbl. Chopped or shaved semisweet chocolate
1 tbl. Grated orange peel
Cannoli Cream:
1 lb. Skim milk ricotta cheese
1/4 cup Skim milk
1/4 cup Orange marmalade
1/2 tsp. Rum extract
1/3 cup Golden raisins
1/4 cup Slivered almonds, toasted
Bittersweet chocolate, shaved
Combine: and mix with a fork the first 5 ingredients. Dissolve sugar in warm water, add wine, and combine with flour mixture. Mix with wooden spoon until well blended. Toss on lightly floured board and knead until dough is soft, smooth, and manageable, about 10 minutes, adding a little more flour, sparingly as needed. Divide dough in 2 parts; cover and set aside in cool place 30 minutes.
Roll out each piece of dough into noodle thinness; cut into pieces 3 by 4 inches, or into circles, with knife or fluted pastry wheel, and wrap each piece around wooden sticks or aluminum cannoli tubes, about 3/4 inch in diameter and 5 to 6 inches long. Lap over and press opposite ends of dough together.
Drop 3 or 4 sticks thus covered at a time into 3-inch-deep hot oil or fat and cook about 1 minute, turning to brown evenly. Remove with tongs or perforated spoon; cool slightly and gently slip off sticks; carefully, to prevent cracking, place shells on absorbent paper. Fill (see below) when cold, just before serving, to keep shells crisp. Garnish ends with chopped nuts and dust with powdered or confectioner's sugar. (Yields about 2 dozen shells.)
For Filling: Combine and blend first 4 ingredients and rub through sieve; add balance of ingredients; blend well and store in refrigerator until shells are ready to be filled.
Variations: Fill shells with chocolate, coconut, or lemon pudding, whipped cream, or custard, as desired. If you want to make your own cannoli forms: Cut down a thin broomstick to 6-inch lengths; scrub with hot soap suds until clean and smooth; rinse in hot water and dry thoroughly. Metal or aluminum tubes about the same size may be purchased at hardware and department stores.
Cannoli Cream: In a blender or food processor, whir ricotta cheese, milk, marmalade, and rum flavoring until smooth. Stir in raisins. Refrigerate one hour or longer. Stir in almonds before serving. Divide mixture among 8 stemmed glasses. Sprinkle with shaved chocolate. Makes about 2 1/2 cups.
Calories 159, Protein 8 g, Carbohydrate 16 g, Calcium 175 mg, Sodium 83 mg. % of calories: protein 20%, fat 40%, carbohydrate 40%
From the Art of Regional Italian Cooking by Maria Lo Pinto