makes
12
prep
1 hour
cook
5 minutes
difficulty
Mid
makes
12
serves
preparation
1
hour
cooking
5
minutes
difficulty
Mid
level
Ingredients
- 200 g (1⅓ cups) plain flour
- 40 g sugar
- 25 g pork lard
- 60 ml (¼ cup) Marsala
- vegetable oil, for deep-frying
- crushed flaked almonds, for coating
Filling
- 400 g firm, fresh ricotta, drained
- 200 g sugar
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
Chocolate sauce
- chocolate, finely chopped
- oil
Resting time 10 minutes
Chilling time 30 minutes
You will need a pasta machine and 12 cannoli tubes for this recipe.
Instructions
Place the flour, sugar, lard and wine in a large bowl. Using your hand or a fork, work the mixture until it starts to come together. Transfer the mixture to a lightly floured workbench and knead until a smooth ball forms. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, to make the ricotta filling, place the ricotta, sugar, and lemon zest in a food processor, then process until smooth and creamy. Transfer the ricotta filling to a piping bag and refrigerate until required.
Remove the dough from the refrigerator and leave in a warm place for 10 minutes. Using a rolling pin, roll out the dough until it is 1 cm thick.
Run the dough through a pasta machine, starting on the thickest setting and working down through each setting until the dough is about 3 mm thick. Lightly flour the dough, fold it to fit back in the pasta machine and repeat this process until the dough is 1.5 mm thick.
Use a round a pastry cutter the same diameter as the length of the cannoli tubes to cut 12 rounds from the dough. Brush 1 side of each dough round with water and use to wrap a cannoli tube, placing the water-side on 1 end to enable the dough to be sealed onto the tube.
Heat oil for deep-frying in a heavy-based saucepan or deep-fryer until it registers 170°C on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in batches, deep-fry the cannoli tubes for 3 minutes or until golden brown. Transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl and leave to drain and cool. When cool enough to handle, slide the tubes out from the dough.
Heat the chocolate and oil in a small heavy-based saucepan, stirring continuously, over low heat until melted and combined.
Drizzle some of the melted chocolate into each cannoli shell, then fill each end with the ricotta filling and dip each end in the almonds to coat. Serve.
Photography, styling and food preparation by China Squirrel.
Poh & Co. 2 starts 8.30pm Thursday, May 19 on SBS.
Cook's Notes
Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.
