Tastes like Home: Nonna's cannoli | ABC Everyday | ABC Australia

“I miss my Nonna. COVID lockdowns and very busy lives have interrupted our regular catch ups. At 38 I am so lucky to still have her in my life. She's taught me all I know about cooking, food and family”.

ABC Radio Melbourne and Everyday asked you to tell us about the person whom you wish you could be with right now and why you would love to cook up a ‘virtual’ storm with them.

Andrew finally got to spend some time with his Nonna and learn how to make ricotta cannoli.

CANNOLI RECIPE:
Crispy sweet pastry shell filled with sweet ricotta and chocolate mixture, dusted with icing sugar enjoyed with a strong espresso or glass of limoncello! Recipe by Enza Zunica, learned from her mother in Eboli, Italy in the 1950’s.
Recipe details below makes approximately 24 cannoli.
INGREDIENTS
Pastry Shell
Plain Flour - 1 ½ Cups
Caster Sugar - 3 Tablespoons
Butter - 60 Grams (room temperature)
Egg - 1 Standard Size
Dry White Wine - ½ Cup
Filling
Unsalted ricotta - 500 grams (dry)
Milk chocolate - 100 grams (rough chopped)
Toasted almonds - 100 grams (roughly crushed)
Caster Sugar - ½ Cup
Sweet Citrus Liquor - 2 Tablespoons
To Cook
Vegetable Cooking Oil - Deep Frying
Egg White - 1 (beaten to stick pastry)
Pistachios - 100 grams (crushed)
Icing Sugar - To Finish
METHOD
1. Mix Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Butter, Egg and Dry White Wine in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon.
Turn out onto bench and roll into a ball. Wrap in cling film and place in the fridge for at least 1-2
hours.
2. Put unsalted ricotta, milk chocolate, toasted almonds, caster sugar and liquor into a large bowl and mix until well combined. Cover with cling film and place in the fridge.
3. Remove from pastry from fridge and roll out into flat pieces. Start with the tip of your fingers, then move to a rolling pin to flatten enough to be processed by a pasta machine. Using the pasta machine start on the thickest setting and feed pasty through several times until you reach the thinnest setting.
Dust with small amounts of flour to prevent from sticking. The pastry should be smooth, and in long sheets approximately 12-15cm wide.
4. Use a 10cm round pastry cutter to cut out cannoli rounds. Wrap the cannoli pastry around aluminium
cannoli tubes and stick the edges of the cannoli pastry with egg white. Be careful not to get egg white onto the aluminium tube.
5. Heat oil in a large frying pan that will allow cannoli to float and cook all over. Allow cannoli shells to brown all over, remove from oil and place on rack to dry and cool. When cool slowly remove the cannoli pastry from the aluminium tube and place on a tray.
6. Remove filing from the fridge and using a knife, carefully stuff the cannoli tubes with the ricotta
filling, ensuring you fill all the way through.
7. Put the crushed pistachios into a flat plate and dip one end of the ricotta into the pistachios to form a crust on one end. Place on a serving tray and dust with icing sugar. Enjoy!
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[thestarspark]

This makes me miss my Grandparents so much. My Dad's parents are both gone, and my Mum's Dad too. All died from cancer. My Nanna is still here (my Mum's Mother) but she moved to QLD. So now I won't be able to see her as I live in another state. Appreciate them while you still have them. :(

[lawrencewiding]

Beautiful! Nothing like it to be with your Nonna, is the secret ingredient that makes it taste even better, I'm sure. It brought tears to my eyes. 🤗

[joannepicone]

Looks delicious😋!!! Thank You for sharing!!

[sandiegan]

How much to ship those to San Diego?? 😘