29.07.2024

Savory Cannoli: The Recipe for a Tasty and Refined Appetizer

By Lilias

recipe

Preparation: 30 min

Rest: 1 hour and 15 min

Difficulty: Medium

Doses for: 20 cannoli

ingredients

For the cannoli

00 flour

250 gr

Marsala

50 ml

Soft butter at room temperature

30 gr

Small eggs

2

Vinegar

1 Teaspoon

salt

qb

For the stuffing

Ricotta

600 gr

Mortadella in cubes

200 gr

Nutmeg

qb

salt

qb

for frying

Peanut oil

qb

you also need

00 flour

qb

Egg yolk

qb

Savory cannoli are a tasty and flavourful variant of the famous sweet preparation that is a symbol of Sicilian patisserie , a spectacular and impressive appetizer , perfect to bring to the table at the beginning of a dinner with guests or to arrange on a tray during a festive buffet .

To make the Marsala -flavoured wafer , simply mix the eggs with the soft butter cut into cubes, the sifted flour, the salt, a drop of vinegar and the fortified wine in a bowl, then pass the smooth and homogeneous dough prepared through the appropriate pasta machine and finally obtain many circular disks of about 10 cm in diameter from the thin sheet obtained. Once the cannoli have been formed with the appropriate steel cylinders, all you have to do is fry them in boiling seed oil and then fill them, after having drained them on a sheet of straw paper, with a soft ricotta cream enriched with mortadella cubes  and a pinch of nutmeg .

The result will be delicious finger food, fragrant and creamy to the bite, to be garnished with chopped pistachios or other chopped dried fruit and then served, if desired, also for a homemade aperitif together with a glass of chilled prosecco.

For an impeccable result, it will be important to let the dough rest in the fridge , wrapped in a sheet of cling film, for at least 1 hour before proceeding as per our instructions: in this way it will be elastic enough and will be easier to work.

Find out how to prepare savory cannoli by following the step-by-step procedure and advice. If you liked this recipe, also try the savory babà and savory cream puffs .

 How to make savory cannoli

Step 1

Prepare the dough: collect the sifted flour in a bowl, then add the soft butter in cubes, a teaspoon of vinegar and a pinch of salt and flavor with the Marsala1.

Step 2

Mix the ingredients together roughly2.

Step 3

Then transfer the mixture onto a floured work surface and continue kneading with your hands.3until you obtain a smooth and homogeneous dough.

Step 4

Wrap it with a sheet of cling film4and let the dough rest in the fridge for about 1 hour.

Step 5

Meanwhile, prepare the filling. Collect the ricotta well drained from the whey in a large bowl, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of nutmeg and reduce everything to a cream with the prongs of a fork5.

Step 6

Add the mortadella cut into cubes6.

Step 7

Mix carefully7and set aside.

Step 8

Once the resting time has elapsed, take the dough out of the fridge and divide it in half.8.

Step 9

Press it lightly on the work surface9.

Step 10

Pass each portion of dough through the pasta machine until you obtain a thin sheet.10.

Step 11

Using a 10cm diameter pastry cutter, cut out lots of small discs.11.

Step 12

Wrap the prepared discs around the steel cannoli moulds and brush the pastry at the joining point with a little beaten egg yolk.12.

Step 13

Press lightly with your fingers to seal the dough.13.

Step 14

Place the cannoli in a saucepan with plenty of boiling seed oil and fry them for 2-3 minutes, browning them well on all sides.14.

Step 15

Then take the fried cannoli and let them drain on a sheet of paper towel.15.

Step 16

Once cooled, gently remove the steel cylinders16.

Step 17

Transfer the ricotta cream into a piping bag and fill the cannoli17.

Step 18

Garnish the ends with chopped pistachios18.

Step 19

Arrange the savory cannoli on a serving plate19, bring to the table and serve.

Advice

To reduce preparation time, you can replace the dough with ready-made puff pastry , shortcrust pastry or brisée, while for a more fragrant result, you can incorporate your favourite aromatic herbs into the filling , such as chopped chives, chopped basil or a sprig of chopped thyme.