Each year around the holidays, I publish a special recipe blog. The recipes do not have medicinal value --nor typically, are they very healthy. But it’s the holiday season, and physician or not, I know that we all indulge a bit this time of year. So here it is: my annual indulgence-in-moderation plug.
This fall, I had the good fortune to visit Sicily. While there, I ate the best cannoli I have ever had. Of course, this dish originated in Sicily, so I should not have been surprised that they were so tasty. Cannoli means “little tubes” in Italian, and they are just that: crispy pastry tubes that contain a sweetened ricotta cheese filling.
Since my return home, I have tried several recipes in an effort to replicate these fantastic-tasting cannoli.
I decided to start with the filling and buy the pastry tubes, although neither is too hard to make. These treats are not particularly good for the waistline, but they are wonderful for the taste buds.
The shells are made from pastry dough that is rolled very thin, wrapped around a metal tube and deep-fried briefly until brown. Again, several recipes can be found online and in cookbooks, but pre-made cannoli shells can also be purchased at many supermarkets.
As for the filling, many recipes are available, but I think I have found the perfect combination of ingredients. This recipe is very simple.
Cannoli Filling
1 pound of ricotta—whole milk
½ to ¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Beat all three ingredients until smooth. The sweetness of this recipe is up to you. In Europe, desserts and pastries are often not as sweet as ours in the U.S., so you may want a little more sugar to suit your taste and that of your family and friends.
After the filling is made, I put it in a plastic bag, cut one corner off and squeeze this into the premade cannoli tubes, filling from each end.
Some recipe variations use powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar, but I think the filling is lighter with the granulated sugar. Also, some people mix chocolate mini chips, chocolate shavings or candied lemon into the filling.
Top the cannoli with red and green sprinkles to turn them into a creative holiday dessert. I like to sprinkle powdered sugar on top, but I am told that classic cannoli have chopped pistachios on the creamy ends.
Have fun trying out this Italian treat. (Now I just may have to go back to Sicily to be sure I have the recipe correct!)
