There is a version of cannoli that exists in every Italian-American bakery in the world. And then there is the Sicilian version — and they are not the same thing.
The Sicilian cannoli is smaller. Crispier. The filling is ricotta, yes, but it's Sicilian ricotta, drier and richer than anything you'll find in the average grocery store. And in our version worth falling in love with, there is pistachio cream folded through the filling in a way that makes the whole thing taste like the island itself. Buy the shells. Focus on the filling. That's where the magic lives.
Fill them with pistachio cream. Take all the credit.
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp Tutto Sicilia Pistachio Cream
- 500g ricotta, drained overnight if possible
- 80g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 orange
- 12 cannoli shells — shop-bought is completely fine
- 50g shelled pistachios, finely chopped
- Icing sugar to dust
Instructions
- If your ricotta is wet, drain it in a fine sieve over a bowl in the fridge for at least an hour. This is the step that separates a good cannoli from a soggy one.
- Beat the drained ricotta until smooth. Add icing sugar, vanilla, and orange zest. Mix well.
- Fold in the pistachio cream — not completely. You want swirls of green running through the white filling, not a uniform colour.
- Taste. Adjust sugar if needed. Refrigerate for 30 minutes to firm up.
- Pipe or spoon the filling into the shells just before serving — never in advance, or the shells go soft.
- Dip both ends into the chopped pistachios.
- Dust with icing sugar and serve immediately.
Nonna's Notes
She filled them at the table, not in the kitchen. She said a soft cannoli is an insult to everyone present. She was right.
One ingredient. A thousand uses. Always Sicilian.
