Ciao Chow Linda

Cannoli con Ricotta

Author: Fabrizia Lanza

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour

• 4 tsp. lard

• 2 tsp. sugar

• 2 tsp. unsweetened cocoa powder

• pinch of fine sea salt

• 1/4 cup vinegar or wine, or as needed

• 1 egg, lighten beaten, for egg wash

• vegetable oil, for flying

• Ricotta Cream

• 1 1/2 cups whole-milk ricotta, preferably sheep’s milk

• 1/2 cup sugar, or to taste

• chocolate chips, optional

• candied orange peel, chopped pistachios, to garnish

Instructions

1. Make the cannoli shells:

2. Combine the flour, lard, sugar, sauce and slat in a bowl and mix together with your hands.

3. Add the vinegar, bit by bit, and knead until the dough comes together. The dough should be quite stiff.

4. Set a pasta machine to the widest setting.

5. Take a piece of dough and run it through the machine 7 to 10 times at that setting, folding the dough in half each time before rolling it again.

6. When the dough is very even, continue to roll it through the machine, once at each setting without folding, until you reach the next to last setting. (The dough should be very even and silky).

7. Lay the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface and with a lightly floured 4 inch cookie cutter, cut out rounds (use a small plate as a template if you don’t have a cookie cutter)

8. Wrap the dough rounds around metal or wooden cannoli molds, dab the edge with egg, and press to seal.

9. Repeat with the remaining dough, retooling the scraps.

10. Heat 2 inches of oil in a wide, heavy pot over medium high heat.

11. Add the cannoli shells in batches and fry until the shells have become bubbly, crisp, and browned, 4 to 5 minutes.

12. With tongs, transfer to paper towels to drain.

13. Cool and remove the molds carefully.

14. To Make the ricotta cream:

15. Beat together the ricotta and sugar until smooth and creamy. Add the chocolate chips, if desired. With a small spoon, fill the cannoli shells, then decorate with the candied orange peel and pistachios, and dust with powdered sugar.