Cannoli (Italian shells with ricotta cream)

Trivia and tips:

1. To make cannoli shells you will need tube forms. We fry the cookies in batches, so it is enough to have 3-6 molds.
2. The traditional filling for cannoli consists only of ricotta and sugar. However, modern cannoli do not follow the established schemes. The filling can be varied with pistachio paste, the addition of cocoa or chunks of chocolate.
3. One of the most important steps in the recipe is to drain excess water from the ricotta. Without this, the filling will be too watery. The cheese can be placed in a strainer or wrapped in gauze and drained in the refrigerator for a minimum of 4 hours, or preferably overnight.
4. Cannoli are best eaten fresh. The shells will soften after a few hours under the influence of the filling and will no longer be appetizing. For best results, I recommend stuffing the cannoli an hour before serving.

Dough:

1. Separate the egg yolks from the whites. Mix sugar, wine, vinegar and 2 egg yolks.
2. Combine flour, salt and cocoa. You can omit the cocoa if you want to make a lighter version of the cannoli.
3. Add cold lard or butter to the flour. Gently knead.
4. While kneading the dough, slowly add the liquid ingredients.
5. Do not stop kneading until the dough is smooth. The dough may be slightly hard. It should resemble pasta dough.
6. Wrap the finished dough in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.

Filling:

1. In the recipe I give two examples of fillings. One filling is enough for about 20 shells of 8 cm (3 inch) long. You can prepare both, or choose one and double the batch to make enough for the whole dough.
2. Whisk the drained ricotta with the powdered sugar for a few minutes. You can press the mixture through a sieve for a smooth consistency.
3. Add chopped chocolate or pistachio paste, depending on the filling you are preparing.
4. Mix thoroughly and transfer the mixture to pastry bags.
5. Store in the refrigerator for the preparation of the shells.

Shells:

1. After chilling, remove the dough from the refrigerator and let it rest at room temperature for 15-20 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 3 parts to make it easier to work with.
3. Roll out the dough to a thickness of about 0.5-1 mm. You can do this by hand or use a pasta machine. If the dough becomes sticky, dust the countertop with flour.
4. While rolling out the dough, you can fold it several times and roll it out again. This will help you get more of the bubbles typical of cannoli.
5. Cut out circles 8 to 10 cm (3-4 inch) in diameter from the rolled out dough.
6. Wrap the punched out circles around the cylindrical molds. Brush the seam with the egg white left over when making the dough.
7. Fry the shells in small batches in oil heated to 350°F (175°C). Frying should take less than a minute.
8. After frying, drain the shells on a paper towel or wire rack and remove them from the forms while they are still warm.

Serving:

1. When the fried shlells are cool, you can proceed with the stuffing.
2. Fill the shells with the prepared cream. The easiest way to do this is to fill the shells from both sides.
3. You can sprinkle the finished shells with powdered sugar, and dip the ends in chocolate chips or chopped pistachios.
4. Cannoli are best eaten shortly after preparation.