Cannoli Alla Siciliana

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My first taste of the famous Italian dessert Cannoli alla Siciliana, of which all Sicilians can be proud, was at Ottawa’s 13th Annual Celebration of Italian Wine & Food. This wonderful wine and food fair was held recently at the Sala San Marco Banquet and Conference Centre on Preston Street, an unusually vibrant street also known as “Corso Italia.”

Part of La Vendemmia, a harvest festival, it was truly a showcase for Italian wines, represented by well-established vendors such as TWC Imports, Dionysus Wines and Sprirts, and Authentic Wines and Spirits. Local restaurants represented included Trattoria Caffe Italia, Pub Italia, and Stoneface Dolly’s.
 
Pasticceria Gelateria Italiana, which was established in 1979, had an amazing display of eye-catching and mouth-watering pastries, including Cannoli Alla Siciliana. Owner G. (Joe) Calabro was kind enough to give readers of The Epoch Times the following recipe—“an old family recipe”—that he brought with him from Italy. Joe told me the cannoli tubes he uses are aluminum. They may be found at gourmet or restaurant supply stores. 

Cannoli Alla Siciliana

Makes 10 to 12 large

Shells

150 g (5 oz) all-purpose flour
15 g (1/2 oz) cocoa
25 g (1 oz) granulated sugar
30 g (1 oz) butter
60 ml (1/4 cup) red wine
Pinch of salt
Oil for deep frying
Metal cannoli tubes
Vegetable oil for deep frying

Form flour into a well. Mix in cocoa, sugar, egg, butter and red wine. Add a pinch of salt. Work dough until smooth. Allow to rest for 1 hour. Roll out dough into a thin sheet and cut into 10-cm (4-inch) squares.  Wrap each square diagonally around the steel tubes and press edges together with a damp finger to seal.  Heat approximately 4-cm (1 1/2-inches) oil to 180º C (350º F) in a medium-sized pot. Once the oil sizzles when a drop of water is placed in it, it is ready. Deep fry the shells to a gold brown colour. Remove shells with tongs. Remove tubes and cool completely on a rack or on paper towels.

Filling:

500 g (1 lb) ricotta cheese
250 g (9 oz) icing sugar, plus additional for dusting
100 g (3 1/2 oz) mini chocolate chips
50 g (2 oz) pistachios, unsalted and chopped
25 g (1 oz) candied orange peel  
Red and green maraschino cherries

Mix ricotta cheese and icing sugar with a spoon. Add chocolate chips, pistachios, and candied orange peel and mix well. Spoon ricotta mixture into the shells or use a pastry bag to pipe the filling into the shells. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Garnish with a red and green maraschino cherry on each end.

Susan Hallett is an award-winning writer and editor who has written for The Beaver, The Globe & Mail, Wine Tidings and Doctor’s Review among many others. Email: hallett_susan@hotmail.com.