Holi Cannoli(!) and My 2nd Year Anniversary in Blogging World

What did I say? I TOTALLY MADE THAT! After having tasted the true Sicilian cannolis in Taormina, Sicily, gotta make them myself! And here it is. The simple and pure pleasure of authentic cannolis. The soul of Sicily…..Well, it was quite a production though. A real time consuming process. But at the end, it was very satisfying and sweet.

The appeal of cannoli shells lies in its versatility, as they can be filled with almost anything and everything. The filling possibilities are endless and they can be altered to suit the taste buds of your near and dear ones. I have seen an Italian dessert shop in Little Italy in Boston that sells only cannolies with different fillings and people line up for them. It's such a lip smacking dessert, you know it's bad(!) for you but you will still go for one more, and more and more...

And what is sweeter than this to celebrate today, my 2nd birthday knowing you all, wonderful and caring people?!

Cannolis
Shells:
Ingredients
3 cups Flour
¼ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Salt
3 tablespoons Butter
2 Eggs (well beaten)
2 tablespoons White Vinegar
1 Egg White (slightly beaten)
2 tablespoons Cold Water
Vegetable Oil for frying

How to:
In a large bowl, sift flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt together.
In a blender cut shortening into pieces, about the size of peas.
Stir in the eggs, vinegar and cold water to the shortening and then add the mixture to the dry mixture.
Knead into a dough till smooth.
Wrap the dough in a plastic sheet and place it in the refrigerator for half an hour.
Roll out the dough and cut into oval shapes and wrap each of the ovals around metal tubes.
Use egg white to brush the ends and fry them in hot oil.
Once the shells turn brown remove them from the oil and let them cool completely.

Ingredients for Filling
1 ½ pounds Ricotta Cheese
½ cup Icing Sugar
½ cup Chocolate Chips
1½ teaspoon Vanilla
3 tablespoons Pistachios, chopped
3 tablespoons Orange Peel chopped

I've got 2 packs like this!

How to:
Sift the dry ingredients together and then mix them with ricotta cheese.
Add vanilla and fruit peel to the mixture and mix well.
Chill the mixture for 1 to 2 hours.
Fill the cold shells with the fillings and sprinkle them with icing sugar.
Serve them immediately.

Note: the shells can be stored in air tight container for upto 1 month. They're always best when filled fresh. Leave filled pastries for more than an hour and they will turn soggy.

Please let your emails/comments keep coming! it's been great and thanks for your kindness and love!