Sicilian Cannoli

Ingredients

• 250 g All-purpose flour
• 30 g Lard
• 25 g Sugar
• 5 g Cocoa powder
• 1 tsp Ground cinnamon
• 1 whole Egg
• 40 ml Marsala wine
• 1 tbsp White wine vinegar
• 1 pinch Salt
• 1 whole Egg white
• 1 l Peanut oil
• 500 g Sheep's milk ricotta
• 150 g Powdered sugar
• 60 g Dark chocolate chips
• 40 g Candied orange peel
• 40 g Pistachios

Steps

1. Drain the sheep's milk ricotta in a sieve lined with cheesecloth over a bowl, refrigerated, for at least 12 hours so it loses all excess whey.
2. For the shell dough, mix the flour with sugar, cocoa powder, a pinch of salt and ground cinnamon.
3. Rub in the cold lard with your fingertips until sandy.
4. Add the egg, white wine vinegar and Marsala wine, then knead until you obtain a smooth, firm, elastic dough.
5. Wrap in film and rest in the fridge for at least 1 hour.
6. Roll the dough out very thin (about 1–2 mm) on a lightly floured surface.
7. Cut out 9–10 cm discs and stretch each into a slight oval.
8. Wrap each oval loosely around a metal cannoli tube, sealing the overlap with a dab of beaten egg white so it doesn't open while frying.
9. Heat plenty of peanut oil to 175–180°C and fry the shells, on the tubes, a few at a time until golden brown and blistered, about 1–2 minutes.
10. Lift out, let the oil drip off, and slide the hot shells off the tubes once cool enough to handle.
11. Drain on paper and let cool completely.
12. Pass the drained ricotta through a sieve into a bowl, then beat with the sugar until perfectly smooth and creamy.
13. Fold in the chocolate chips.
14. Fill the cooled shells with the ricotta cream from both ends using a piping bag, only just before serving so they stay crisp.
15. Press candied orange peel into one end and chopped pistachios into the other.
16. Dust the cannoli lightly with powdered sugar and serve at once.

Tips

• Use only fresh sheep's milk ricotta and drain it overnight — watery ricotta is the number one cause of soggy cannoli. Never fill the shells in advance: assemble each one to order so the casing stays glassy and crisp. The white wine vinegar in the dough is essential for the signature blistered, bubbly shell.