Cannoli Siciliani

This one was a long time coming.
For millions of reasons I never tried to make this delight of the Sicilian repertoire of desserts.
There is so much history behind it that I've been almost afraid to try in case I'd get it wrong.
But one day I just braved myself and during a quite afternoon I finally did it and to my surprise the result was absolutely orgasmic!!!!
So if you feel ready to attempt it here is the recipe.

But just in case you find it too daunting (like I did!) or difficult or just you don't have the time we do sell them at the restaurant!!! (http://www.ilmezzogiorno.be/).

For about 20 Cannoli skins you need:
200 gr. plain flour
20/30 gr. suet
30 gr. sugar
a pinch of salt
2 tsp cacao powder
2 tsp. coffee powder (optional)
3/4 tbsp. dry marsala wine
oil for deep frying
egg white for sealing
you also need 3/4 stainless steel tubes of approx. 2cm. of diameter and 15cm. in length or I find better and easier to use silicone cones

For the ricotta filling:
800 gr. of fresh ricotta preferably or religiously sheep ricotta they say in Sicily
150 gr. icing sugar (or to your taste)
30 gr. dark chocolate
30 gr. of good quality candid fruits

For the garnish:
a few orange candid peels
a handful of crushed pistachio nuts
icing sugar

Start by putting the ricotta in a clean cheese cloth and fold the sides on top of it. Place it in a sieve on a plate, put a pack of sugar on top of it to weigh it down and put in the fridge while you prepare the cannoli skins. You need to do this in order to remove excess liquid from the ricotta or it will be too soft and floppy at the end.
To make the skins I put the flour and suet in the food processor and mix the two then I add the sugar, salt, cacao powder and with the machine running add the Marsala wine a bit at the time until I get a crumbly mixture (you can also easily do this by hand).
Pour it onto a lightly floured surface and bring together into a tight ball. Cover it with cling film and let it rest in the fridge for 20 min. or so.
In the meantime prepare the ricotta mix by adding the sugar first and with an electric mixer or by hand work it for a few minutes. Add now the candid fruits and the broken-up chocolate and fold everything together.
If you have a sac a poche put in there (it will make it easier to fill the cannoli afterwards) and back in the fridge again.
Now the fun bit starts.
Flour the work surface and start rolling the pastry out to form a circle (or a square it's even better) to a thickness of approx. 2mm.. With a pastry cutter or a knife cut out 20 10x10 cm squares.
Now you can start the frying.
If you are going to use a fryer switch it on to 180°
Grease really well the tubes with some suet.
Take a square of pastry place one tube diagonally, fold half of it over and brush the other two sides to seal it. Roll it lightly onto itself and repeat it for the number of tubes you have.
Put no more then 3/4 tubes in the hot oil at the time and fry them until the colour browns a little and bubbles appear onto the surface.
Gently drip out any excess oil from the tubes and tip them onto some kitchen paper.
Allow a little time for the tubes to cool down and then with a towel in you hand gently release the cannoli skin from the tube. Repeat with all the remaining squares.
Remember to re-grease the tubes with each batch and please don't burn yourselves.
To finish off, fill the cannoli with the ricotta mix place the candid orange skin and the pistachio on each side of the openings and dust with a bit of icing sugar.
The empty skins will keep up to a week or more in an air tight container but I doubt it very much.
I know that is a long process but believe me is well worth the effort.