Authentic Sicilian Cannoli: The Original Recipe

To prepare Sicilian cannoli according to the original recipe, pour the sifted flour onto a work surface, place a spoonful of sugar, a pinch of salt, cocoa, vinegar, butter and Marsala (or wine) in the centre, sufficient to obtain a consistent paste.

Knead everything together and form a ball. Wrap the ball in cling film and let it rest for an hour in a cool place.
 

Work the sieved ricotta in a bowl with the orange blossom water and sugar. When the mixture is creamy, add the rest of the ingredients and refrigerate for 30 minutes.
 

Roll out the dough (by hand or with a machine) to 2 mm thick, and cut out discs or squares of 10 cm diameter.

Wrap each disc of dough around a metal tube, overlapping the two edges and joining them with beaten egg-white like glue.

When wrapping the discs of dough, make sure that they are not wrapped too tightly to the metal tube so that the cannoli can swell slightly.
 

Fry the Sicilian cannoli in abundant oil and, when they are of a beautiful golden-brown colour, drain them on absorbent paper and, when just warm, remove them from the tubes.

Repeat the operation until all the dough is used up.
 

Stuff the cannoli with a coffee spoon or a pastry bag. The cannoli must be stuffed just before serving, because otherwise the wafer becomes soft as it absorbs the moisture of the filling.
 

Decorate each single cannoli with chopped pistachios.

Finally, sprinkle with icing sugar: your Sicilian cannoli, prepared according to the original recipe, are ready to be served and tasted.